


Out for Themselves

by Nutella0Mutt



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, After care, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BDSM, Blood and Gore, Body Worship, Breathplay, Curses, Deus Ex Machina, Dragon rider Keith, Dragons, Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Edging, Exhibitionism, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Happy Ending, Hate Speech, M/M, Mage Lance, Magic, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Other, Overstimulation, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Underage Sex, Public Sex, Rough Sex, Sex Magic, Temporary Character Death, Violence, past dubious consent, shklance - Freeform, warrior shiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-06-29 12:30:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15729438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nutella0Mutt/pseuds/Nutella0Mutt
Summary: In this fantasy world, two well-known heroes are tasked by the Princess to become unlikely companions for a dangerous mission. Then they pick up a stray, and at first, the big personalities rub one another the wrong way. Soon, however, they begin to rub each other in a different way. Many times in many ways. But each man holds their own secret that could either lead to riches or ruin.Prepare yourself for rough, dirty, messy, naughty, sexy fun. Oh, and dragons.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This was originally going to be in the VLD NSFW Big Bang, but it become slightly more plot heavy than smut heavy. Not to say there won't be a LOT of smut, but I didn't want it to become a PWP. 
> 
> So here it is, probably one of my proudest accomplishments! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Warnings: This is NSFW not just due to the smut. Shiro, Lance, and Keith start out very violent, 'kill first talk later' people. Please heed warnings. But it is a happy ending I promise!
> 
> More more info about this AU, including character bios and snippets for future scenes, check out this  
> [post](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/176572321986/out-for-themselves-fantasy-shklance-intro).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT! October 2018:  
> We got some cover art!
> 
>   
> [on tumblr](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/178714336236/iacediai-commission-for-nutella0mutt-based-on)  
>   
>   
> [on tumblr](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/178612059731/vava-fett-commission-for-nutella0mutts-fantasy)

* * *

  
It starts with a dove, because of course it does. Lance would have much rather preferred a normal pigeon. Or a raven. Doves were the trickiest messengers. Dainty, spoiled, and eye-catching. Everything Lance hates. But it was Allura’s signature look, and whatever the Princess wishes for, she gets. White castle, white clothes, white horses. And fucking doves.

“Come here you little bitch!”

The dove hops and flies over his head, landing on the opposite side of the balcony. Fed up, Lance flicks a freeze spell at it, and catches the falling bird. “Hah! Got you. Now let’s see what Allura wants. Shit I hope she didn’t find out about the magicked money tree.”

Lance had, quite literally, magicked a tree into growing coin. The coins grew like fruit, and had to be harvested before the flowers bloomed, or else they turned to mud and fell, worthless. And the growing of the money took forever, many months. But it was a freaking money tree and completely unheard of. Lance loved it very much. It just, wasn’t legal. Magic was strictly regulated and abuse of magic was banned, after all.

Lance places the frozen bird on the table to defrost on its own, and unties the message from its leg. 

> _Magician Lance the Vagabond,  
>  _ _Your presence is requested at the Court of the Castle of Lions immediately.  
>  _ _By the Order of the Princess._

Lance exhales, and puts the note down. It curls, and he sees something scribbled on the back.

> _P.S.  
>  _ _She knows about the tree.  
>  _ _~ Coran_

Fuck!

* * *

“Knight Shirogane. A moment, please.”

Shiro pauses from swinging his sword and turns. He’s in the huge training room, beating up training dummies before breakfast. Coran, the Princess’s royal advisor, stands by the door. Shiro puts his shield and sword down, and grabs a towel as he turns to the advisor. Coran gestures at the hallway behind him, a clear sign that Shiro should clean up and join him outside. The knight quickly returns all items to their proper places, and begins dabbing at this forehead as he joins Coran in the doorway.

“What’s up Coran? You got that serious look on your face. Must be important.”

“Well, the Princess requests your presence at the Court at your earliest convenience.”

Shiro’s been doing this a long time. Long enough to know that ‘at your convenience’ means get your ass over there NOW.

Shiro bows. “Of course, Sir. I’ll freshen up right away.”

* * *

When Shiro enters the Court, dressed in his best, he’s the only one there. Even the guards are scarce. This must be important business indeed. Or at least private.

Unbothered, Shiro stops in front of the throne and kneels, prepared to wait. It’s an intimidation strategy he’s familiar with, and one he enjoys using himself, if he’s honest. He lowers his head in apparent submission, and closes his eyes. He’s losing himself to the meditation when the heavy doors open behind him. Shiro does not tense his body, and his eyes remain closed. But his ears sharpen their hearing, trying to root out friend from foe. The steps are soft, unfamiliar, and light. There’s no heavy echo of armored boot. He would guess mage or royal, from the step. The foot falls are uneven, and stall, then slide, as if the person is in awe, spinning to take in the vast luxury of the Court. The steps continue closer, then stop abruptly with a gasp. They’ve seen Shiro. The hairs on Shiro’s arms and back of his neck rise as the room seems to pulse with energy. The telltale signature of the arcane. A mage, then.

There’s a beat, then the pulse lowers. The mage had been startled by Shiro’s presence then. But the rising arcane energy spoke of great power.

“Oh! Um...hi? Are you here for the Princess, too?”

Shiro says nothing, but a smirk threatens to cross his face. The pacing resumes, then stops.

“Well, I guess I’ll join you then. You seem to know what you’re doing.”

A shuffle, then a thud as knees hit the ground, despite the thick white carpet. “Oh man, I usually enjoy getting on my knees. But not so much right now.” The mage chuckles to himself, then falls silent as the huge doors swing shut. “Court is now in session,” he whispers to himself.

A side door behind the intricate white throne opens, and the decadently dressed Princess enters. She delicately sits on her throne, but her smile is civil, warm.

“My friends. Greetings. I’m glad you could come on such short notice.

* * *

The heavy doors close, signaling the end of the meeting. The gist of it is this: Allura wants them to find the long lost Kingdom of Altea. The same one her ancestors had supposedly originated from, and which had been lost to time. No one knew where it was, or what happened to it. Only that it was the rumored origin of all magic. Anyone who found it would know the forbidden secrets of magic, including how to gain that power, and how to strip someone of it. Many thousands of adventurers had tried and failed. For some reason, Allura thought he would succeed where others had failed. Well, him and the hot knight next to him.

Lance stretches, catching the eye of the knight. Inwardly, Lance smirks. This adventure might turn out to be a wild goose chase, but the company might make it worth it. Lance eyes the broad shoulders and bulging muscles. The knight smiles, a predatory look. His eyes rack up and down Lance’s lithe body, dressed snugly in his cloth armor.

“Like what you see, mage?”

“Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing, warrior.”

“I am curious why the Princess picked you. Me, I understand, but a mage won’t last long where we’re headed.” The knight’s voice dips low, his words like a threat. But Lance is smart. He’s aware how he looks. He used to hate being underestimated, but over time he’s learned to love it. Just another card up his sleeve.

“Well good thing I’ve got a big strong knight to protect me, then. I’m sure I wouldn’t last a day.” Lance trails his fingers along the warrior’s bare arm, watching goosebumps rise in response. His hand trails across the knight’s shoulders as he crosses behind him, eyeing the man’s backside appreciatively, then nears the scarring above the metal arm. The warrior’s eyes flash, and his free arm grabs Lance by the throat.

 _“Don’t,”_ he growls in Lance’s ear, voice pitched low and husky. It sends a spark down Lance’s spine. The fist tightens, and Lance can’t help the moan he makes as he submits to the warrior.

Pleased by his reaction, the knight smirks again, then leans in to bite Lance’s neck, sucking on the skin and leaving it bruised. Then he releases Lance, who stumbles into a wall to catch himself, knees weak.

“I think we’re going to get along just fine,” says the knight who calls himself Shiro. “I look forward to…” he trails off as his eyes rake up and down Lance’s body, “ _...working..._ with you.”

Then he’s gone, and Lance just knows he’s going to have the best sex of his life. This dumb quest just got 100% more interesting.

* * *

 The night was blustery cold, freezing wind howling. Lance spares a moment to pity the fool out in this weather before bundling himself up tighter in his cloak. Shiro was still at the tavern, securing them winter ponies for the next leg of their trip. The goal was to get to the coast as quickly as they can to catch the last boat of the season. As it was, they were pushing it close. It would be just their luck that the port would already be frozen over. So far this damn crazy quest was leading to nothing but chafing. But the money they had been given was more than enough to fund this insane mission, so at the very least it would be an adventure of sorts. In the last three months they had barely made it out of Arus. If all went well the ship would take them to the warm elf land of Olkarion. After that, they would follow whatever lead they could.

Footsteps behind him pull Lance from his thoughts. The steps are silent and the figure keeps to the shadows, But Lance was too smart for them. He’s been followed for the last 15 minutes, but little did they know the hunter was the one being hunted. The poor dolt may think they’re picking an unsuspecting mage to mug, but Lance is no amateur magician. In fact, he didn’t even need magic to sense his pursuer. Lance was raised by rogues and knows the dirtiest tricks in the book. It’s rare when someone can out stealth him.

Lance almost has the would-be mugger right where he wants them. He hurries around a corner, feigning right, and the figure rushes after him, trying to keep Lance in sight. Lance doesn’t even bother magicking himself invisible, he steps behind once the figure has realized they’re in an empty dead-end, and as the figure turns to backtrack, Lance’s presence shocks them into taking a step back. The figure goes for the knife on his hip but Lance carelessly blasts a freeze spell on him.

Shiro approaches from behind Lance. Shiro is the only one who can give Lance a run for his money in regards to stealth.

“Hmmm. What do we have this time? It’s awfully… small.”

Lance makes a hum in agreement and circles the frozen man. No, as he gets closer, it’s a boy. Shiro makes the same observation. “Hey, it’s just a kid.”

“Some poor street rat. Let’s just leave him frozen like this. Easy prey for the next one.”

Lance, unimpressed by the dark and dirty cloak he sees, heads back to the front of the alley. Shiro makes as if to follow him, but a soft sound makes him pause. He turns back to the kid. He’s still frozen in place by Lance’s spell. One hand braced in front of him and the other going for his knife on his hip. But a whimper escapes the boy, and tears fall from his eyes.

It’s not a new sight to Shiro. He’s seen some shit, and tears don’t affect him anymore. Or so he thought. Normally Shiro would take pleasure, as Lance did, in the helplessness. A would-be criminal now left for the next criminal. ‘An eye for an eye,’ as Lance loves to say. But the soft whimpers, as if he’s trying to hold them in, for some reason get to Shiro. He returns to the boy’s side, and prepares to yank the dirty cloak off, making sure that he’s not otherwise armed and dangerous. He’s breaking character, and knows Lance will give him shit for it later, but he wants to see if he can convince Lance into letting him escape. First he’s got to make sure this kid doesn’t have any other weapons on him. But as the cloak falls away he gasps as what he sees. Shiro had thought the boy would at least have basic cold-weather clothing underneath the dirty cloak, but instead are literal rags. There’s no shirt on him, and he’s not wearing any shoes. The pants, if you could call them that, are mere shreds by now, the bottoms torn off. Shiro can easily see not only each rib on the kid, but bruises of every color. Sickly yellow, pale green, dark purple, and bright red. All of them scream of rough treatment, some of it shockingly new. Most of the bruises are by his neck and down by his hips, disappearing under the shorts. They are also on his wrists and ankles. Shiro feels his stomach drop, like he swallowed a giant stone. Some of the bruises look like handprints.

The kid may be the one under the spell, but Shiro feels frozen in place. Lance, turning to see what the hold up is, gasps behind him.

“What the fuck?!”

The shout causes the boy to flinch, even under the spell’s control. His body trembles from fighting the spell, impressing Shiro. Lance’s magic is some of the strongest around. He’s never seen anyone able to fight off the effects.

Lance abruptly removes his freeze spell. The boy gasps loudly, and stumbles, nearly falling. But he still continues his grab for his knife, hissing in warning, even as his knees buckle. The boy scrambles backwards until his back hits the freezing wall. Shiro catches a gleam of grey and purple in his wide, panicked eyes, hidden under a dirty fringe. This kid is fighting for his life. And he’s losing.

“I think he’s feral,” Lance says, coming to the same conclusion as Shiro.

Before them is a kid raised on the street. No family, no friends, no guidance. He’s been living on his own, fighting for survival every step of the way for who knows how long. Based on the bruises, he hasn’t been doing a very good job of it. He’s been someone’s prey.

“What should we do, Shiro? I almost feel death would be a kindness at this point.”

Shiro knows he should agree. This kid needs a lot of work. A lot of help. It might be too late for him. But looking at the hissing, snarling kid, unaware he’s at death’s door, tugs at him.

“I want to help him,” Shiro says easily. He’ll ponder the reasons why later.

“I’m sorry. What was that? I must have misheard you, because it sounded like you wanted to help him.” Lance put his hands on his hips. “Don’t even think about it, Shiro. This isn’t smart. We have our mission.”

The boy’s hissing stops abruptly. He’s been crouched in the corner, trembling. But a small whine escapes him, and he falls back against the wall, body loose, gasping. His eyes flicker and roll back. He falls into a dead faint. The knife is still clenched in his hand.

Shiro kneels to the collect the boy in his arms, bundling him up in his dirty cloak. Shiro is not surprised by how light he is. He begins heading back to their room at the inn. They were going to leave in the morning. They have to leave in the morning. The mission depends on it. But if the kid survives the night, there might be a small change of plans. 

* * *

 In the morning, his saviors leave him behind. He’s not fit to travel. And they have a mission. It’s too important. _Business for the Princess. You understand._ He remembers hearing whispers of it in his half-consciousness. _Altea. The lost Kingdom of Altea._ Keith doesn’t let himself feel bitter. He’s feeling too much other stuff as it is. Pain. Numb. Appreciation. Both for their care of him, and for not touching him in his vulnerable state. They didn’t add to his collection of bruises, like he originally feared when he awoke in the bed. He closes his eyes and lets himself fully rest, for the first time in a very, very long time.

When Keith stumbles out of bed later that day, he discovers their gifts. There’s no note, but the side table has food, a pouch full of coin, and more coins stacked neatly in seven piles. Enough for Keith to spend a week in the room, if he wishes.

Emotions Keith hasn’t felt is so long flood his system. His eyes water, and they _burn_ from the disuse. He swallows, but the sobs escape. Yet in his small, safe place, he can release all that he’s kept inside.

Later, after he’s purged his system of the grief and relief, and allowed a full emotional reboot, he makes a promise.

He’s going to find them, and help them. He will make it his life’s mission of he has to. When he had thought there was no kindness left, they came to him. Like angels. Keith needs to at the very least pay them back. Maybe he can repay with his body, either by fighting or fucking. It’s all he knows.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets his dragon

* * *

 After two more days, Keith stocks up on food and supplies. And then he works. He works on building his strength back up, works on finding safe, cheap places to stay, and works on finding an easy job he can do as he recovers. The food and warmth has done wonders, and by being able to afford inns, he no longer has to live in survival mode. It gives his brain a break, and that is the single biggest relief.

He’s looking for better boots and checking out the stands for potential work when the wizard calls to him as he passes. He’s the old, twisted sort. Looking older than his years with the beard and layers of robes. He’s nothing like the mage that caught and subsequently saved him less than a week ago.

“I have what you seek, boy.”

Silently, Keith curls his mouth into a snarl. There’s only two people who can call him that, now. And they’re long gone. The man can’t see his face from his stall behind him, but Keith’s shoulders tense as he continues walking. He wants to remain invisible.

“Invisible, huh? That may be the way of your mind, but your hearts speaks differently.”

Keith freezes, rooted to the ground. How did the wizard read his thoughts?! Keith spins, frantic, and the wizard raises his hands in surrender, likely moved by his expression.

“No, it’s alright! I’m a seer.”

Keith scoffs, and turns to leave.

“You want to find them, don’t you? I can help you get to them.”

Again, Keith stops. This time he gets a proper look at the wizard. The look on his face is not unkind. There’s no cruelty here. The shop is old and dusty, full of trinkets and treasures that might entice a normal person. Unfortunately, Keith hasn’t been normal in a long time. He decides to humor the old man. He’s got nothing to lose, and if the wizard does try anything, Keith’s confident he can take the old guy on.

As if reading his thoughts, the man smiles, but does not comment.

“What you seek is here. I know you do not what that you are looking for yet, but the answer lies here. Come, to the attic.”

Before Keith can decline the wizard leads the way up the rickety stairs. Intrigued, Keith follows. A black chest rests in the middle of the room. It’s covered in a thick layer of dust, evidence of it’s time being left undisturbed. Keith approaches, as if summoned. It’s calling to him. He kneels and wipes away dust from the lid with his sleeves.

The black lacquered lid is painted in dazzling designs. At first Keith can’t make it out. But after wiping more dust it clicks. The air seems to become energized, and it’s not the dust making it hard for Keith to breathe.

“Are these images...is this a…?”

“She’s been waiting for you for many years.”

Keith doesn’t have the air in his lungs to respond. His fingers hover just over the lock sealing the chest. At a brush of his fingers it snaps open and falls off the hook. The clasp pops open. Keith lifts the lid with trembling fingers.

Inside is a massive ruby, easily the size of a fist. It catches the light, sending stars and sparkles across the room. But that’s not what Keith seeks. He lifts the jewel and sets it aside, pulling up the velvet it was nestled in. Here lies his true treasure. Underneath is a large, red egg. It’s completely smooth and warm under his fingertips. Keith cradles it to his chest. He feels a connection. Like he’s found the other half to his soul. He feels her heartbeat, and is unaware of the tears streaming down his face.

“She is the last. The only remaining riding dragon. This is all that’s left of the dragon riders.”

Such an impossibility. Yet here lies the proof.

“Since you are not a dragon rider, you must heed the prophecy. A curse will be placed upon you should you attempt to accept the bond. What say you?”

Keith stands, egg in his arms.

“I accept. She’s mine, I can feel it. We were meant to be.”

“Very well.” The wizard lifts his staff and fire ignites, whirling around Keith like a tempest. He chants in a booming voice.

 ****  
_**“A heart for a heart,**_  
 _ **is what you must pay.**_  
 _ **Until seven years time,**_  
 _ **with death you will play!”**_

The egg in Keith’s hands crack, and his vision goes white.

* * *

 Over the next few days, Keith is a doting mother. The little dragon he lovingly calls Red has a voracious appetite, and needs to be kept nearly unbearably warm. Fortunately it’s the dead of winter, so he gets no complaints when his room becomes stuffy and warm. After three days of eating scraps of meat nearly nonstop, she sits in front of Keith and waits for him to wake up from where he has passed out learning over the table. He feels a prod on his forehead, and wakes with a bleary groan.

“Huh?”

_Keith. My Light. My Fire._

Keith nearly falls off the chair in shock. What used to be a tiny creature the size of a chick is now a large cat-sized glossy red dragon.

“A-are you in my head? You can talk?”

Red scoffs.

_Of course, my Spark. I am a Riding Dragon, after all. How else do you think the dragons and riders communicated? Try it. Think to me._

“Am I doing it right?”

Red seems to sigh, then shakes her head.

_We’ll get there. Let’s go outside and cement our bond. I am of the right age, now._

“Do what now?” he squeaks, and she jumps to his legs and begins to shove and nip at him, herding him out the door.

_Outside! I want to fly and we need to bond!_

“Wait! People will see you!”

Red stops and seems to glare at him.

_You think I cannot glamour myself to appear as another? Silly human._

With that, Red shivers and with a pop, she is a sleek hawk, rusty-colored feathers covering her head to tail.

_Now! Out!_

At Keith’s insistence, the two make their way to the forest bordering the town. He isn’t sure what this “bonding” entails, but he does not want to be caught out in the open and booted from the town. Red perches on his shoulder and clucks at him in annoyance.

When they reach a small clearing Keith deems acceptable, Red pops back into her dragon form and sits upon his head, kneading his tufts of hair. Keith swats at her, and she hisses back. He’s a little nervous about what his bonding will entail. Keith has a healthy suspicion of magic, having been on the receiving end of that in more than one intimate occasion. It becomes another thing on his long list of unpleasant things he doesn’t want to ever experience again, right between ropes and skirts.

Keith shakes his head to lose the visions, ignoring Red’s growl. That was him before. His past life. Now he’s been saved and has a dragon, and he never has to return to that. Keith steels his heart and prepares himself for this unknown ritual. Whatever it is, it’ll be worth it. It was certainly not his original reasoning for why he agreed to hatch Red, but having a dragon will be a huge ace up his sleeve. He can’t blow this. She is the _last_ , and Keith will treasure her for as long as his short life will allow. That thought sparks a question.

“By the way, Red, what will happen to you after I die?”

There’s a rough hissing in his mind, and it startles him, until he belatedly realizes that it’s her _laughing._ She’s _laughing_ her ass off at him!

“Red, what the fuck! That was a serious question! I worry about you!”

_Oh, young dragonling. Worry not yourself. It’s been not even a week. Much too early to think of such worrisome things._

And then she bites him. Right on the back of his neck.

“OW! RED!”

But she doesn’t let go. The bite begins to sting and burn, and Keith cries out.

“Red! Seriously, that fucking hurts!”

_Patience, my Light. The venom of my fledgling teeth make the mark and solidify the bond. Once the mark heals and the scar takes, we are forever bonded. You will be mind and I will be yours._

“Great, so I get to bite you back?”

She laughs her annoying hissing laugh and Keith curses.

* * *

They work out a system. Red grows about a pound a day. Every morning Keith wakes, Red is a little bit bigger. They take to going out at night, seeking out the forest for prey for her which won’t be missed. Then after feeding they take to the skies. It’s about a three months until Red reaches a size where she can carry a rider. After the first heart-stopping flight, Keith can’t imagine ever truly living before he met Red.

Red is freedom, and companionship. She’s an ally and always has Keith’s back despite her snarkiness. Keith’s never had anyone on his side before, and he knows he shouldn’t let himself fall so hard so fast. After all, dragons are very different from humans and always seek their own gain first. But maybe it’s the bond. That’s the only explanation Keith has for their close connection. Keith comes to welcome the sarcastic voice in his head, and seeks Red’s guidance more often than not. Respect grows between then, then trust. Keith doesn’t know of any better way to put one’s trust to the test than flying. Red trusts Keith to work with her, and to guide her with good decisions, rather than risky ones. And Keith trusts Red not to let him fall to his death. As they perfect their flying techniques together, their love for one another grows as well.

* * *

Keith hates the cold. Cold meant working harder to survive. It meant little food and poor sleep. But the worst thing about the cold was the memories of hot hands on his body. When you were all on your own and looked like Keith, you did what you had to make it. Any other time of year, Keith could snatch samples from stalls and harvest from the woods. But in the winter vendors kept their wares close, and the woods were barren. Keith quickly learned begging wasn’t effective. When everybody had it tough, no one was willing to spare their precious little on others. But he did attract attention, even if it was the wrong type. He stood outsides inns and in the doorways of barracks. He’d lay back among straw or finger starchy sheets, ignoring the scent of alcohol and escaping from his mind for a bit. But the one thing he could never forget was the hot, heavy, rough hands that were responsible for his next morsel of food.

It’s nearly spring, but the nights are still unbearably cold outside. Keith whimpers in his sleep, dark thoughts and hot hands swirling in his mind. Red is now the size of a horse, and they are hidden in the stable of an abandoned farm. The red dragon purrs and curls herself carefully around her rider, hoping the warmth of her body will keep the nightmares at bay. Keith has never come straight to her about his difficult past, but she’s smart and has been cataloging the signs. Red does everything in her power to ensure Keith never has want for anything but human company. She hunts and provides fire and heat and protects. And in return Keith keeps her mind and body strong, and her heart alive with love. Keith has said many times that she is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Red will never let Keith return to that life.

But the secret he keeps burns near his heart. Red is the very last of her kind. She watches him bear that burden alone, and offers silly observations when his thoughts run heavy.

And then there’s the prophecy. Something not even Red can touch. He’s only got seven years until death comes calling. While he does a good job of brushing off her concerns, Keith keeps his fears inside. Red is privy to Keith’s inner thoughts, and so she watches. She watches as every moment he spends sitting around feels like another grain of sand falling through his hourglass. Another tick on his clock. She watches as Keith allows himself a single year to build up his coin, his dragon, and his strength, then begins his search. She watches as it takes Keith four frustrating years to find his saviors.

The ticking clock is always present in Keith’s head, and it echoes in hers, too.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> Keith with the egg. [on tumblr](https://78.media.tumblr.com/ca15ddce782ca68192adf5be43c039c3/tumblr_pdqaycxN0f1rpvvnho1_1280.png)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempted seduction

* * *

 They’re at the pub. Or, at least that’s that what the rumor is. These two are surprisingly hard to track, and have been so for the last four years. If their mission is to be true, seeking the lost Kingdom of Altea, then Keith can understand their secrecy. He takes one year to heal himself, strengthen his bond with Red, and secure financial security. It takes him two years to finally locate them, and another whole year of frustratingly always being one step behind. He had just about given up hope when he gets a lead: a mage eager to win back his loses to them spills his secrets. Keith nods, handing over his coin in exchange, then spins out his knife and slits the man’s throat. Red happily indulges in the meal as he wipes his blade. Keith doesn’t enjoy killing, but he knows he has to keep their trail clean.

When Red has finished, Keith checks himself that his hood is still up, and heads to the pub where his saviors are supposed to be. He leaves the shop calmly, pretending to be just another customer. Red vanishes the instant he leaves the shadow of the building.

The sign over the door welcomes patrons to the Warbling Frog. It’s a warm summer night, so the pub isn’t packed, but it’s attracted the thirsty. Keith finds a table in the middle of the room, and leaves a small stack of coins on the edge. It would be suspicious for him to head to a corner, so he’ll sit right out in the open and try to look inconspicuous. A barmaid, attracted to his coin, gives him a smile as she pockets it, pleased by his forwardness. He orders a mead and the chicken meal, and digs into the warm dinner rolls as he waits. He surveys the room idly as he sips, raises his glass in acknowledgment whenever he meets someone’s look. He turns to look towards the game table by the bar, and spies the unmistakable white bangs of the knight.

Keith’s meal comes before he can choose a plan of action, so turns his attention to his food, thankful for the distraction. He doesn’t want to confront them in public, but already he knows trying to get the jump on them is impossible. It looks like the mage and the warrior are deep in their drink. They laugh boisterously at the mage’s uncanny good luck with the cards, and the mage even sloshes his drink, clumsily pocketing the gold on the table.  Maybe Keith can use that to his advantage after all. The plan he has is terrible, but it will get them out of public eye. Quickly, he finishes his meal, and downs his drink for extra courage. Then he sways his hips as he makes his way over, hoping the blush covering his face at the looks he’s getting adds to his cover. Fortunately, Keith left his gear and weapons with Red, so he’s unarmed and wearing only his lightest layers. He’s painfully aware of how he looks. His face is boyish, long hair covering his big, innocent eyes, and his body is thin and graceful. He used to curse his looks, but they wound up being useful for attracting the kind of people who would be willing to barter food for his body. Keith has no idea the preference of these two, but maybe if they are drunk enough they won’t look too closely.

Swallowing his nervousness, he decides to bypass the talk and simply stands in front of the mage, pouting, head tilted. Then, slowly, to telegraph his movements, Keith stretches himself forward and drapes himself over the mage. The men at the table begin catcalling and whistling, enjoying the show. Keith closes his eyes so he doesn’t have to look at anyone, and, once there’s no hands shoving him off, he spreads his legs and straddles the mage, rubbing his hips against a thigh. The mage under him gasps, and Keith, trying not to lose his cool, ducks his head to the mage’s neck and begins kissing up to his ear. Another thrust with his hips, and Keith is aware of the hardness growing against his leg. Good.

“Do you want to head upstairs?” he asks breathlessly, adrenaline coursing through him at the whole situation. Keith wants nothing more then to run far, far away, but he hasn’t spent the last four years tracking his saviors just to lose his cool at the last second. A hand tugs his hair painfully and Keith yelps as his neck is exposed, but it’s not the mage. It’s the knight, chair overturned and pupils dilated wide as he looks at the sight of Keith before him. Then the knight is moving in for the kill, a bruising kiss fighting its way into Keith’s mouth. Keith moans, half in surprise, half in pleasure, then gasps as a hand rubs along his crotch. Shit shit shit, Keith is suddenly, painfully aware that he is in way, way over his head.

One of their opponents scoffs, then reaches for the gold on the table. “Looks like you two are busy. We’ll take this off your hands.” The man leans forward, and Keith closes his eyes again, anticipating a fight. But the mage tuts.

“No need, we will carry on. I believe it was my turn.” Keith’s eyes widen, matching the ones of their opponents. The mage turns Keith with a surprising amount of strength, facing the boy towards the game table. One hand slides down the front of Keith’s pants possessively, the other picks up the stack of cards. The game continues, but all Keith can focus on is the heat rising; flush spreading to his whole body as he’s groped in front of the entire pub. The knight returns to his chair and his drink, but his eyes never stray from Keith’s, except to flicker down to where the mage’s hand has disappeared. Squirming only earns Keith a harsh bite on the neck, so he’s unable to hide his growing erection. The mage smirks against his neck. “Someone is eager. I’m looking forward to having you tonight.”

Keith moans. He hears the knight chuckle next to him, but Keith stubbornly keeps his eyes closed as his face burns. The hand on him strokes faster, and Keith tries and fails to hide his panting, head falling back against the mage’s shoulder. This was not how Keith imagined tonight to go at all.

Soon enough Keith’s hips are thrusting, trying to find his completion in the mage’s grip, but the hand slows, dragging the pleasure out longer, and Keith whimpers.

“Ah ah, the game’s not yet won, boy. You’ll need to be patient.” He sucks a bruise on Keith’s neck, as he plays the cards in his hand. Keith’s not following the game, lost in the euphoria, but he hears the men complain, even as some jeer at Keith. He’s writhing, sprawled debauched in the mage’s lap, sobbing as he’s denied an orgasm. Tears run down his face and his hands grip the thighs he’s sitting on hard. Keith is going to die before this game is over. Red rumbles, amused, with a question of if he’s really in distress, and Keith shoves her out of his mind. He doesn’t want yet another spectator to this. The feeling of air exposing him tugs him back into awareness, and panicked, Keith tries to cover himself as the mage frees the erection from Keith’s pants. The mage laughs and whispers a foreign word in Keith’s ears. Before Keith can question him, his sees magic spark and settle around his wrists. They snap his arms together, and an ineffective yank tells him all he needs to know. He’s now their captive. The ideas sends a jolt of strange pleasure through him, and the warrior makes an impressed sound. “He’s a kinky one. I’m looking forward to tonight. Hurry up with your game, Lance, or I’ll take the boy and start without you.”

The mage named Lance sighs. “Fine. Royal flush.” His opponents jump from their chair, furious. Lance pays them no mind.  “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure. But as you can see, I have other plans this evening. Even greater pleasure awaits.”

“Hey, you cheater! Don’t even think about walking away!” One man reaches forward, darting a hand out around Keith’s neck. Keith arches in shock as the hand tightens on his throat, eyes open in fear as he looks into the angry face. But then Keith’s fear is mirrored in the eyes of the man reaching for him. For a second Keith is confused. But then the hand on his neck _falls_ , and the man is screaming and tumbling backwards, clutching his fresh stump. Keith is acutely aware of the limp hand dropping down into his lap. Keith’s ears ring and he stares down at the dismembered hand coating his clothes a bright vibrant red. There’s blood everywhere and yelling and chaos. He blinks, still not registering, and it’s not until the fingers on the hand twitch that awareness comes slamming into Keith’s consciousness. With a hoarse yell, Keith throws himself away from the horror, stumbling backwards. He’s dizzy and sick and faint and terrified. Keith isn’t sure which he feels the strongest. His legs make the decision for him and he collapses, unable to catch himself with his hands bound. Then he leans over and retches. This was not at all what he was expecting. This violence. The men he’s trying to win favor with are dangerous. Maybe Keith can still escape amidst the riot. He’s crawling on hands and knees, taking cover under a table, and adamantly ignoring the blood covering him and the broken glass beneath his hands. The door looms before him, and Keith is nearly there when the hands fall upon him. Keith closes his eyes. He’s been caught.

“Here he is! This is the slut they were fucking!”

Keith whines as hands grab his hair harshly and yank him backwards, belly exposed. Boots kick his face and Keith throws his bound hands up in defense. A savage kick gets his stomach and Keith cries out. The people above him laugh at his pain. Keith feels a rumble in his mind, and ties his best to push his concerned dragon aside. It would just make everything worse! She can’t show herself here! Red growls fiercely in his mind, and Keith shoves her away. He’ll just deal with this. A boot raises again, and Keith grits his teeth.

And then it stops. They all stop. Keith carefully lowers his hands, aware of the sudden chill in the room. And then he sees the men frozen solid, arms and legs still raised. They are covered in blue ice, which begins to give off fog in the warm air. Keith lowers his hands and lets his head rest on the ground. He begins to cry, overcome and overwhelmed. A shadow looms overhead and Keith closes his eyes, not prepared for anymore surprises. He just wanted to thank the people who saved him, but of all the ways he imaged them to be, he never would have thought they might be the people not worth thanking. They are bad men. In his despair Keith doesn’t even notice the room getting quiet.

The shadow crouches, kneeling besides Keith, and a soft touch on his cheek convinces him to peak an eye open. It’s the mage, with a soft look on his face, almost an apology. The warrior appears behind Keith, sword dripping red, and Keith sobs. The mage turns to the man looming behind him, and the two share a look, before the mage returns his attention to Keith.

“Well, you’re pretty suspicious, but given your reactions I’m guessing you aren’t a spy. I’m not sure who you are or what you were thinking but you probably didn’t expect it to go like this.”

Keith can’t get his body to react. In fact, it betrays him further and trembles. He simply looks up, lost, tears still running down his face. The warrior shuffles his feet and the mage sighs. With a flick of his fingers the magic binding Keith’s hands dissipates.

“I think we got off to the wrong start. I’m Lance, and that is Shiro. You’re in shock. Can we help you out? Get you cleaned up and sorted out? Then maybe we can talk about why you’re here.”

Somehow, Keith manages to get a weak hand up, but it flops uselessly. However Lance seems to understand, and pulls Keith to his feet. Which of course give out, but Lance seems prepared and scoops Keith up like a damsel. Normally Keith would argue the point but right now it seems appropriate. Lance takes him outside and Keith can’t help but close his eyes and hide his face in his warm chest.

* * *

Shiro holds his sword as Lance kneels to pick up the young boy that got them into this mess. The sword is dripping with blood, and will need to be cleaned before he can sheath it. Otherwise, the damage isn’t too bad. Well, on their end. Shiro managed to avoid getting too much blood on his clothes, and as always Lance is a clean killer. But the pub is covered in blood and there aren’t any survivors. They can’t leave any loose ends. Shiro tuts as he skims the quiet carnage. A barmaid got caught up in this mess, and her body lies sprawled over a table. What a shame. The rest of the pub’s keepers met a similar fate. Fortunately by now Lance knows how to cover their tracks to make sure it can’t be traced back to them, but it was still needless death. Lance turns to the cheerily burning fire in the hearth and not a second later the flames explode outward. Shiro and Lance make their escape, teleporting to their room at an inn on the outskirts of town.

The room pops into existence with a snap and Shiro catches himself on a wall, gagging.

“Ugh, I hate your fucking teleporting magic,” he grumbles.

Lance makes to rest the now unconscious boy on the bed, but takes a look at all the blood and thinks better of it, moving him to the washroom instead.

“Yeah well if you wanted to walk away from a burning building covered in blood, that’s fine by me. I’ll remember it for next time, will save me a spell.”

Shiro pulls out a towel and rests his sword on it to clean later. First they have to deal with this kid and see if he’s a threat or not. He aids Lance in undressing the boy, and the first thing both check for are rogue marks on the ankles and hips.

“Well, he’s not a rogue,” Shiro remarks as his eyes trail over unmarked skin.

Lance chuckles. “Or at least he’s not part of a clan. Doesn’t mean there aren’t secret organizations, Shiro.” Lance gives the warrior a look. “I thought I taught you better than that.” His hands instinctively begin to skirt up and down, tracing the damage on the kid’s body.

Shiro busies himself with the tub so he doesn’t have to meet Lance’s eyes. The two of them have gotten to know one another very well these past four years. Shiro knows what to say to make Lance tick. He knows how to make Lance scream and beg. He knows how to hurt him. And he knows when to freaking drop it. Lance is an intellectual and has a brilliantly sharp mind. He doesn’t waste time on others, and if you are one of the few he does try to instruct, Lance hates it when you ignore his teachings. And he won’t let you forget it. Unfortunately for Shiro, Lance takes his silence as guilt.

“Ugh, Shiro, if you aren’t going to listen to my words then I won’t bother to share them.” Finished with the boy, Lance turns away to deal with the stained and ruined clothes. Right now they are the only piece of evidence left.

The warrior adjusts the temperature of the water, unable to hold his tongue. “Maybe there are some I wish you would share less. Some quiet would be nice sometimes.” Whoops, he probably shouldn’t have said that. But let it not be said that Shiro is a coward. He raises his head to meet Lance’s cold stare. The mage has got his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.

“You better be nice to me. The boy did come to me after all. If you want any you’d better play nice.”

At that Shiro scoffs. “As if we don’t already share everything. Hell, sometimes you _beg_ me to join in. You love the way I take charge. Others just can’t do it for you anymore. I’ve ruined you for them.”

Lance snaps his gaping jaw closed and turns quick to hide his growing erection. “B-be quick with the kid. We don’t want him catching a chill. Well, not until he tells us what we want to know.”

He leaves the room in a huff, bloody clothes in hand, and Shiro begins to tend to their unexpected visitor.

* * *

Damn that knight! He’s much better company than he was four years ago but still! Lance incinerates the clothes with a snap, huffing. The only good thing that Shiro has going for him is his killer body. Lance chuckles at his own pun. Killer. Body. Heh. Lance is looking forward to a piece of that later. Their little spats always result in the best sex. Sometimes they nag one another just to build the tension up, and then seek their release among the sheets. A smile graces Lance’s face as he thinks back fondly on their night two days ago. Lance is still feeling it, but it’s about time for a refresher.

Well, first they need to deal with this boy. Find out what he knows and how he found him, and then either kill him, hold him ransom, or let him go. Option one would be such a pity. That gorgeous face. Those full lips. But it wouldn't the first time they were the target of a seduction. Just, tonight is the first time it’s gone so poorly. The kid didn’t have a clue what he was doing. But maybe that’s the strategy these days. Send the inexperienced, innocent ones. Well, option two they’ve only done once, and it was the child prince of the Taerle Kingdom, sent to win over their hearts and assassinate them in their sleep. That night was very memorable for a number of reasons, the most vivid being the fact that they didn’t sleep at all that night. He and Shiro were too busy fucking the night away, uncaring of their little visitor next door who had begged for a place to stay. The kid had tried to abort the mission and sneak away, but was caught and ransomed for a heavy sum. Lance bites his lip in recollection. Yes, a very memorable night indeed.

As Lance retrieves some of his clothes, holding them up to see if the sizing might fit, he thinks about the unlikelihood of option three. They’ve never let anyone go. If there is no one to ransom the boy off to, they can’t just let him free. Even if he knows nothing, someone might glean some information from him through nefarious magic. Memory reading. Very few mages know how, but it is possible. No, the boy will have to die. Knowing Shiro’s style, Lance puts down a favored shirt and grabs the nightgown. It’s a lovely purple shade, but replaceable should it get covered in blood, too.

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A proper reunion

* * *

 Warm water runs down his back and Keith sits up with a startled gasp. Where is he?!

“Woah, hold on there, kid. We’re almost done.”

Keith’s not listening. Hot hands are on his naked body, and he panics. “N-no! Let go of me!” Frantic, he throws hands out, catching someone with an oomph, and fights his way out of the arms holding him. They let him go, and Keith splashes, falling to the floor in a wet pile.

The chill hits him then and he covers himself with his arms. A towel gets dumped on his head and Keith squeaks in surprise. Once he sees it’s a towel he tries to pick it up, but drops it with a curse. Keith looks down in surprise at his hands, and sees the fresh cuts on his palms. That’s when his memory comes back, and the pain. Keith turns to look at this companion in shock. The knight is still kneeling by the tub, looking at him expectantly, and the mage by the door has his arms crossed in frustration. Both are dripping wet, and the mage has a red mark on his face. That’s probably from his punch just now. Oops.

“Are you very much done?” the mage sighs. “I wanted to wash the blood from you before beginning a heal spell. Germs and all that.”

Keith is torn. The uncalled for violence earlier terrifies him. But then there’s the relief at finally finding them, and the gratitude for them saving him years ago. If Keith is honest with himself, there’s also that unmistakable heat from earlier. That memory of being groped in front of everyone suddenly comes to the front of his mind, and Keith flushes. He really should have thought about that plan more before just jumping in. Now look where he is!

_Aren’t you right where you wanted to be, my Fire?_

It’s Red! Keith has never been more happy to hear her sarcasm than he is now. It’s a reminder that he’s not alone, and that if these guys really don’t mean well, he’s got someone in his corner.

_More like a free meal for me, but however you want to justify it to yourself._

Keith hasn’t yet perfected how to talk back to Red beyond just throwing feelings at her, so he shoves as much thankfulness as he can at her and focuses back on his current situation. The warrior shuffles behind him, standing, and Keith turns at the sound. The warrior is even more intimidating in Keith’s current nude state, and the memory of his passionate kissing begins to get a rise out of Keith. He’s got to do something quick!

“U-uh thanks for your help. I’ll just um finish up here. Then we can...talk?”

The mage smiles slowly, eyes roaming Keith’s bare chest, and the warrior makes a pleased growl. Confused, it takes a second for Keith to rewind and figure out what he said to have gotten such a reaction. Oh shit. He make it sound like he didn’t want to talk at all! Keith shoves them both out of the wash room and closes the door behind him. Shit! What if they want to continue where he left off! Keith takes a quick survey of the washroom for his clothes and comes up empty. Of course, they were probably ruined by the blood. Crap crap crap! They literally have him right where they want him!

_You could always escape out the window. I would come and retrieve you._

Keith takes a second to imagine himself scrambling naked over rooftops and flying away on a dragon, and decides his pride is more important than his safety. Instead he slowly tends to his sore body, buying himself extra time to come up with a plan. Hopefully a better one than earlier.

* * *

One thing is clear: they don’t recognize him. Even washed and dressed in borrowed clothes, there’s no sign of recognition. Keith’s eyes flit between the mage Lance, who is carefully healing Keith’s hands, and the warrior Shiro who is sitting near the window and cleaning his sword. Nothing. The mage is the first to break the silence.

“So, young thing, who are you and what brought you to us? It’s clear you aren’t a prostitute.” Lance eyes his face. “Well, not a normal one, anyway.”

Keith sighs, looking at the soft green light healing his cuts. He can’t help but flinch, feeling ill with magic so close, and Lance shushes him, mistaking the gesture as pain. It’s probably best to be honest. Keith is not a good liar, and he doesn’t want to have to worry about keeping a story going. Besides, who’s to say the mage can’t weed out mistruths? Keith has heard that some with magic abilities can. And why are they healing him when he should be dead already? Maybe they really do want him for other things. And what should he do about that? Will that save him? Or will that make him more of a target?

Lance raises an eyebrow at Keith’s hesitance. Keith blushes. “I am… my name is...Keith.”

“Keith, huh? Alright Keith, what were you trying to start earlier? Were you really that horny for us, or was there some other reason?”

“Umm. B-both?”

That seems to get their attention.

“I met you two before. And...well I wanted to show my gratitude.”

* * *

Alarm bells immediately chime in Shiro’s head. Anyone they met previously were either anonymous passerbys or witnesses dealt with accordingly. This kid not only remembered them, but managed to track them down. He’s either damn lucky or very dangerous. Shiro’s appreciation for him goes up immensely. He’s learned from Lance not to underestimate people. “Keith’s” act might just be that to lower their guard. And what the heck is all that about gratitude? Since when do they help people? Did they kill someone for him? Shiro can see Lance stiffen at the kid’s words. He’s thinking the same thing right now. Shiro decides it’s time to step in. He puts his now clean sword aside and spreads his legs invitingly.

“Well, kid. C’mere are show us your gratitude. I hardly got to touch you earlier.”

Keith’s eyes widen. Here it is, the moment of truth. If he really wanted to “show his appreciation” he’d follow through on it. If he has other motives, he’ll make excuses. Shiro’s backed him into a corner.

Slowly, Keith stands, and walks carefully over to Shiro, bare feet hardly making a sound on the cold floor. Shiro watches him carefully, but curious. Keith swallows, and his face turns bright red, but he kneels. Keith places his hands on Shiro’s thighs and rubs. Shiro looks up over Keith and sees Lance watching with wide eyes. Shiro’s attention is pulled back to the boy unlacing his pants, hands fumbling as he strokes Shiro’s cock through his undergarments. Then careful hands pull Shiro’s cock out so the thick weight of it makes it bow to the side. The kid is sloppy yet determined, tongue sticking out as he focuses all his attention on Shiro’s throbbing erection and uses his hands to jerk Shiro off. Shit, inexperienced and enthusiastic. One of his kinks. Shiro might just beg Lance to keep him around. He could be their cock warmer. A small tongue takes a tentative lick along his shaft and Shiro leans his head back and closes his eyes. Fuuuck that’s good. Keith tries to swallow Shiro down in one go and gags on the length, earning him an appreciative groan from the warrior.

Finally, Lance stands and kneels next to Keith, eyeing the boy adjust to take Shiro’s cock again. “Easy there. Nice and slow. Shiro loves it when you take your time with him. He’s got the patience of a saint.”

Shiro growls, unimpressed. Lance better not sabotage this blow job. Lance is an old pro by now, but it’s been a while since Shiro’s had a mouth on his cock. This opportunity is too good to pass up. An eager and willing soul just begging for cock.

“Put one hand here, like this. Then you can go to town and it won’t flop around. Yup, like that. And use that hand. Now flatten your tongue. Perfect.”

Shiro grunts at the sensation of warmth licking heavily up and down, and the hand jerking him off at the base. Then the tongue searches lower, caressing his balls, and Shiro jerks.

“Shit!”

Lance moves in closer to watch. “Now back up and lick just the tip.”

Growling, Shiro grabs Keith’s head and shoves the boy down on his cock. Keith gasps around Shiro’s cock and it feels amazing.

“No more teasing. Get to it, boy.”

Shiro forces Keith’s head up and down, ignoring his gagging. He glares at a sheepish Lance, the notices the mage is hard, too. Shiro will get his revenge on the mage for that. He knows just what to do. But right now he’s got a mouth on his cock to focus on.

The boy whimpers and Lance rubs a hand on Keith’s back. “Keith, you’re fine. Breathe through your nose. Open your throat a bit and relax. Shiro will move you, just let him slide in.” The kid clenches his eyes shut but does as he’s told, and it’s infinitely better.

“Oh, shit, Just like that, kid. Easy goes it.” The slide is perfect, no resistance at all. Shiro increases his pace, shoving Keith up and down as he chasing his release.

“Good, he’s close now. See if you can suck a little but. Just like-”

“Fuck!” Shiro pins Keith’s head down, lips touching his thick hairs as he comes down the kid’s throat. Keith splutters and gags, but Shiro doesn’t let up. Cum spills from Keith mouth, and Shiro finally lets him go. Shiro leans forward to cup his hands on the panting boy’s cheeks.

“That wasn’t too bad. Needs some practice, though.” Shiro lets the boy catch his breath. “Alright, now it’s Lance’s turn.” Keith freezes, eyes wide, cum spilling from his mouth, and Shiro smirks. “What, you gotta show us both some gratitude. It would be unfair to just service one. I’ll walk you through it.”

He pats a cheek and gestures for Lance to give him a towel. The mages retrieves one from the bathroom and Shiro is quick to clean up, vacating the chair to Lance. The mage sits, curious at Shiro’s behavior. Keith wipes his mouth with a sleeves, and Lance gives him a smile.

“Okay Keith,” Lance starts.

“Ah ah ah,” Shiro tuts. “I get to talk him through it. I know what you like.”

Lance is rightfully suspicious of the look on Shiro’s face, and the warrior makes no effort to hide it. As a kind gesture, Shiro grabs a pillow from the bed and tosses it at Keith. Both Shiro and Lance watch as the boy looks at them both confused.

“What do I do with this?” he asks.

“It’s uh, for your knees. To help ease the discomfort.” Shiro is suddenly embarrassed, not used to having to explain his rare instances of kindness. Keith slowly places the pillow on his lap. When Shiro frowns, Keith’s eyes widen and he quickly picks it back up and places his under his knees. Shiro catches himself nodding, and moves to stand behind Keith.

Lance has already freed his erection from his tight pants, and it hangs there proud, the tip gleaming with precum. It’s a gorgeous pink, a beautiful contrast to Lance’s golden tan, and Shiro feels his mouth water. God he loves Lance’s cock.

“Alright kid, grab that cock firmly and ravage the slit. Lance gets so wet, just lap it all up. Make sure to keep it nice and clean.”

* * *

Lance has high standards when it comes to sexual pleasure. But the uncertain hands fumbling his cock are making him hard as hell. Lance gasps as he’s finally swallowed down, and he can feel Keith fighting the initial reflex to spit it out. The heat is insane and Lance knows he’s not going to last long like this. He really hopes this kid isn’t an assassin because Lance is putty in his hands. Er, mouth.

“Just like that, keep it up. A little faster,” Shiro growls.

Lance gasps. “Shit shit shit.”

“Ah, you enjoying yourself, Lance? For a second I thought you were bored. You’re never this quiet.”

Lance bites his tongue hard to keep his hands from forcing Keith down, and tastes blood in his mouth as a result. Hands exploring his balls has Lance arching back with a small cry.

“He’s loving that. Look at his face. He’s practically drooling. Faster.”

Lance shakes his head as if he could fight the climax, and clenches his hands on his thighs so he doesn’t accidently incinerate the boy.

“You know, Keith, you seem familiar to me. I think I remember you.”

Keith is so focused that he nearly misses Shiro’s words, expecting to hear more dirty talk. He misses a beat and Lance thrusts up deep, punching a moan from Lance and causing Keith to gag hard. He tries to pull himself off to catch his breath but Shiro grips Keith’s hair again and keeps him on the cock. Lance is so close to finishing that he can’t control the fast thrusts down Keith throat. Keith clenches his eyes closed as he fights the reflex and tries to breathe.

“So good for us. Yes, you remind me a little feral kid we met a few years ago.”

Shiro tugs Keith off Lance’s cock and the mage cums all over Keith’s face. Keith is gagging and coughing, and his eyes are wide, cum dripping off his face as he looks at Shiro.

“W-what?” Lance pants. “What feral kid?”

“You remember me?” Keith wheezes.

Shiro tits his head, appraising. “Yup. Those rare deep purple eyes. Looks like you made it, after all. We weren’t sure you would survive the night. Must be a fighter.”

“Wait wait wait! This is that half-frozen boy?!” Lance grabs Shiro’s used towel and pulls Keith to him so he can clean up. As he works he studies Keith’s features. “Damn. You’ve filled out a bit since then. Still too skinny, though.”

Shiro retrieves his water pouch and hands it to Keith. He hums as he watches Keith drink gratefully. “Now the thing I’m really curious about is how you found us. We were pretty good about covering our tracks.”

Keith smirks, and Shiro is pleased to see that same fire from earlier. This kid ain’t a quitter. “Well, you were decent, I guess. I was able to ask after you two, and as I got closer there were more unhappy losers willing to give info to reclaim their losses.”

Shiro pins Lance with a hard look, and Lance has the gall to look embarrassed. “Eh, I guess I get a little carried away when I drink.”

“ ‘A little,’ he says. We’ll need to be more careful from now on. Keith, have you been watching your back? Those men you spoke to might be after you next.”

Keith feels Red’s pleased smirk, and it mirrors on his face. She must’ve come back from a successful hunt, and has happily eaten her fill. Keith feels his blood singing in response. “No need to worry. They’re dead.”

Lance freezes, and Shiro’s eyes widen. As Lance splutters, Shiro fixes his full attention on Keith. “You. You killed them? By yourself?”

“Yes. With my knife. I left my gear by the stable before I sought you two out. I didn’t want you guys to think I was an assassin or anything.”

Lance bursts out laughing, and Keith smiles at the reaction. Then his eyes land on the sodden towel Lance drops to the floor and he blushes. “So yeah, I wanted to thank you for saving my life.”

Shiro reclines on the bed and crosses his arms. “Alright. So you found us. What now?”

Keith opens his mouth. Then closes it. Then opens it again. “I uh, actually hadn’t thought that far. I just figured I’d help you find the lost Kingdom of Altea.” Both men freeze, watching Keith like a hawk. Keith fidgets under their gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“How you know we were seeking Altea?

“You mentioned it. At the inn.”

“What? Lance asks panicked. “Which inn?”

Keith stutters. “T-the inn when y-you rescued me. You were talking about your mission.” Shit did he say something wrong? And things were going so well! Damnit!

Both men visibly relax as his words. “Oh, you must’ve been semi-conscious then. Alright. We were worried that word of our mission had gotten out. We would need to be much more vigilant about silencing lose ends in that case. Our mission is top secret.”

“Oh, I won’t tell anyone.”

Shiro shakes his head. “You don’t understand. The Princess has many enemies. If they were to find out we were seeking the lost kingdom, they would snatch it from us and use it for their own evil purposes. They would have control over all magic. We cannot let that happen. At any cost.”

Keith nods, awestruck.

Shiro pats the empty bed next to him. “Well, you can rest here with us tonight. In the morning we can see about reclaiming your items. I think I speak for both myself and Lance when I say you are welcome aboard. At the very least we know you’re a good cockwarmer.

Keith blushes scarlet and sputters.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith is 22. Shiro and Lance saved him when he was 18. He made a deal with a wizard and had 7 years left to live. It took him four years to catch up with the others, so now he has 3 years left. I look off the major character death tag. Keith will die BUT for like 10 minutes. Shiro and Lance will save him : )
> 
> Lance is 25. Heavy drinker, unassuming, likes to be underestimated. 
> 
> Shiro is 28. A decorated warrior, knighted as a Champion for his fearless victory in the great Galran-Altean War.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day together

* * *

That night, as Keith heads to the washroom to freshen up and get ready for bed, Lance glares and pokes Shiro’s chest. “You can't seriously be thinking about this,” he says in a hissed whisper.

And that right there is a solid point. Shiro isn't sure why exactly he's doing this. The kid knows who they are and knows their secret, and at this point he's likely just going to be a liability. But he could provide some fun along the way.

“If he becomes a problem we can just kill him,” Shiro says shrugging. “Doesn't seem like he'd be too difficult to put down.”

Lance huffs.

“Besides, what’s that saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

That earns him rolled eyes from Lance. Shiro ignores him. “And he just wants to show his appreciation. Who are we to stop him?”

With a sigh, Lance let’s it drop. “Fine but it's your fault if this goes sideways.”

* * *

As usual, Keith does not sleep well that night, despite the pleasant company. He's sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed (Shiro and Lance were aghast when he suggested it), curled up in some spare blankets, and still sleep evades him. He thinks about how it's gone from a long, long journey, to a whirlwind these past few hours.

According to Red, dawn is a few hours out, so Keith quietly leaves the warm nest, and leaves the room to find her. On his way he passes the charred remains of the pub and is able to find his belongings in the stable, a little smokey but no worse for wear. That will be his excuse if his absence is noticed. Keith puts on his backpack and sneaks through the quiet town until he finds the edge of the forest where Red is sleeping.

“Hey girl.”

_Good evening, My Fire. Is all as you wished?_

“Well, I didn't expect it to go this way,” Keith says blushing, “but I guess it's going to go all right. They didn't kill me on the spot.”

Read growls softly. _I wouldn't let them touch you. They would be ash before they tried._

Keith gives her a pat, appreciatively.

“I know, Red, and thanks.”

 _Think nothing of it, we're bonded._ She says as if it's really that easy.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” he asks eager to run from his thoughts.

_I'm sorry Little Light, I caught a deer earlier so I'm still a little fat from the meal._

So Keith curls up and snuggles with Red, dozing off a little. An hour later Red gently touches him awake, just as the sun is peeking over the horizon.

_Time to go before they awaken. I will follow along and catch up with you later tonight. It still would be much faster if you would just let me fly you._

Keith chuckles as he gives her one final pat. “Sorry, you know I can't do that. I've got to keep you safe.”

Keith sneaks back in, pleased to see his hosts unmoved, just as he left them. He returns to his now cold blankets and tries to burrow in to find any residual warmth left in the blankets.

* * *

Lance isn't sure what to make of any of this. They had a small breakfast of fruit and bread and headed to their next destination.

“So where are we going, exactly?” The boy asks. Before Shiro can say anything, Lance interrupts.

“Sorry we can't tell you that, you know, secret mission and all.” Lance smiles at him knowingly as Keith shrugs, content to let it drop. Shiro wisely does not push it.

They leave the town and signs of civilization, and head towards the main road. Thick forest grows all around them. Keith can feel Red flying high above the clouds to hide herself. She’ll travel with them for a bit then hunt and rest until they stop for camp. Then she’ll fly over to where they set up camp.

“So,” Lance starts up a few minutes later, interrupting Keith from his thoughts, “if you're going to be traveling, with us, you are going to need to know how to defend yourself.”

“I know how to protect myself,” Keith says defensively.

“Well I hope your fighting skills are better than your seduction skills,” Shiro snarks. Lance gives him a high five. Keith blushes and stammers out a half complaint. Shiro ruffles his hair.

“Lance is right. When we stop for lunch I want to see what you got.”

Keith shrugs. “Sure whatever you want.”

* * *

Not 30 minutes later, Keith is in the dirt, Lance is laughing his ass off, and Shiro wants to throw himself on his sword.

“You call that a swing? You wouldn't be able to cut paper with that move. Where’s your momentum? Where's your strength? And what the fuck are your feet doing?

Keith picks himself up, wiping dirt off angrily. “I don't know! I had to teach myself. It’s not like I had anyone to show me!”

That sobers Shiro up a bit. He sheaths his sword. “Very well. Then I will teach you.”

Shiro moves to stand next to Keith. “Lemme see that,” he says, grabbing Keith’s knife. “Okay. Your grip is like this, here grab that stick and hold it like I am. Yup like that, now put your feet like mine. Okay. Then, one solid movement, ha!”

Shiro turns and gestures at Keith.

“Let me see- oh God no. Nonnono stop! Just copy me.”

Keith snarls. “I did!”

“No you didn’t you moved your other foo- never mind, follow me again.”

Again, Shiro demonstrates and turns to watch Keith execute the same move.

“Ye-NO what the heck?!”

After an hour they've made no progress and Shiro gives up.

“He's helpless. Useless,” Shiro bemoans.

The anger Keith felt earlier has dissipated, and now Keith looks like he’s about to cry. Lance glares at Shiro.

“Go fix that. NOW!”

As Shiro goes to comfort Keith and tell him he didn’t really mean it, Lance starts calculating how long it’s going to take to train Keith at their current rate. Aaand it doesn't look good.

Keith settled and Shiro contrite, Lance comes approaches them. “Okay. Okay okay.  Everyday for 30 minutes we’re going to train. But no longer, because we still have to make it past the dwarven mountains.  

* * *

Long hours later, the shadows are getting long and the group starts looking for a place to camp.

“Looks like we’re camping out under the stars tonight!” Shiro looks ecstatic.

Lance grumbles.

“Lets keep going on a bit. See if we can find a nice place to set up.” Shiro happily pushes onward and Lance lags behind, heaving a suffering sigh. Keith slows a but until the two are walking together.

“So what’s the story behind you and Shiro,” Keith asks innocently. Unfortunately, there’s nothing innocent about the answer, but Lance tries his best.

“Well, Princess Allura summoned us both to the castle because we are strong, powerful, and dependable. We’ve both served the princess in the past and have proven ourselves to be loyal. We can keep her secrets.”

Lance makes a face like he’s swallowed a lemon, but when Keith asks he says there’s something in his shoe and Keith lets it drop.

“Okay, but that doesn't explain you two, though. You’re _together._ ”

And that’s the thing. Probably to outsiders it really does look like they are together. Lance flushes and coughs. “Well, we um, appreciate each other's company greatly. We know how to take care of each other. We make a good team. But I wouldn’t say we are _together_ together. We just have passionate moments.”

Keith looks very unimpressed. But lets it go. “Okay, so what’s your deal. You are powerful, and magic gets a bad rep. So why are you serving the princess?”

Lance scratches the back of his head. “Well, you see… it’s my family.”

“Your family?”

“They’re… not well off. Acting as counsel to the princess helps pay for them to live comfortably. So they aren’t-” Lance snaps his mouth shut, but it’s too late. Keith knows exactly what he was going to say.

“So they aren’t living on the streets.”

Lance hangs his head. “...yeah.”

“I grew up having it rough, and a clan of rogues took my family in under their wing. I learned all sorts of sneaky things from them, and my family learned enough to get by. But when the clan got purged and the rogues driven out of town, my family could hardly keep their head above water. So I worked on my magic and became invaluable to the princess.”

They walk quietly together in setting sun. Keith watches Shiro stray the path for a bit in hopes of finding something promising. He turns back and gestures for the others to follow.

“What about Shiro?”

Lance gives a wry grin as he answers. “Champion-Knight Shirogane was knighted for his fearless victory in the Galran-Altean War.” He waits for a second, looking expectantly at Keith. When there’s no reaction he prompts. “You don’t even know who that is, do you?”

“I know we had a war about five years ago. When the town got depleted of resources the chantry could no longer afford to feed and house me. That’s why I was on the streets in winter. But no I don’t know anything about the war itself.”

Lance’s steps falter. He’s party relieved that Keith wasn’t on the streets more for more than a year, but it also means Shiro is part of the reason, indirectly, that Keith was out fending for himself. The war ruined a lot a lives, Lance tells himself. There are always casualties, and even the winners are still losers. But Shiro doesn’t need any more guilt on this plate, so Lance promises himself to not being up the reason for Keith’s situation in front of the knight.

“Okay, so, if Shiro is so famous, why are people not flocking all over him?”

“Good question. Well, for one, no one was there. Shiro was the only survivor that day, so there’s no one to spread the word. When Shiro returned to the Castle of Lions he was knighted publicly, but as you know they always hold the ceremonies either privately or so high up that no one can get close enough to get a good look. Don’t you hate when that happens?”

Keith gives him a blank look.

“Ah, yes, never mind. You had more pressing things on your mind that formal ceremonies. Anyway, everyone knew of the man but few people outside of the castle have seen him. So Shiro has the freedom to travel the land without attracting too much attention.”

“Hmm. And his arm?”

“A souvenir from the war.”

Keith looks pensive, and opens his mouth to say something, but Shiro loudly declares the perfect spot found, and they all busy themselves with unpacking.

* * *

That night as the group cleans up from dinner and gets ready for bed, Keith comes over to the large bedroll Shiro and Lance have set up together, and kneels, ready. Lance gives him a look as he removes his jacket.

“What are you doing, Keith? Did you not want your own space?”

“Ah, n-no that’s not it. I just thought…” Keith bites his lip and looks at the hands he is resting on his thighs. “I thought that was my whole point in being here. I’m repaying my debt to you.”

A wide grin slowly grows across Shiro’s face and he hastily goes to unbuckle his belt. Lance smacks him.

“Well, it’s not like we’ll say no.” Lance eyes Shiro who’s roaring to go. “Actually the answer is very much yes.” Lance lets his eyes trail down Keith's body. The boy blushes under the attention. “But is that what you want to do?”

“Uh I can…” Keith moves some packs aside and clears a spot. “I can do other stuff, too? You can use me. Is like this okay? It’s a little cold out.”

Keith’s laid back on the blankets. He goes to remove his boots and pants. Then his coat and shirt. As soon as he’s divested himself of them, he grabs another blanket and wraps it around himself. Keith looks up questioningly. Still, Lance has to be sure.

“Have you ever done this before?”

Lance wants to take the words back as soon as he’s said them. He and Shiro saw the marks on the boy years ago. They were unmistakable. Evidence of rough treatment at his most private places. Damaging, both physical and mental. He wants to take back his words. He wants to say ‘never mind.’ To show some control and maturity, and say ‘we shouldn’t.’ But Lance is not a good man. He’s a bad one; the sole reason Allura hired him.

The boy huffs. Even dressed, he’s a sight. Nude, he’s downright gorgeous. And Lance is painfully aware that some nasty people took advantage of that. Of him.

Keith tightens the blanket around his shoulders. “Of course I’ve had sex before. I’m not some dumb virgin.”

Lance holds his hands up placatingly. “I didn’t say you were. I do have to ask, though. For my own peace of mind. When Shiro and I found you, it looked like you had been...well….used.”

“Yes, I had sex back then. And?”

“W-was it consensual? Did you consent?”

Keith shakes his head. “Don’t use your smart words on me. I don’t know what that word means.”

“Okay well, did you agree to the sex. Did you plan for it?”

“Yea, I let them. In exchange for food.”

Lance’s heart breaks. He was worried that was the case. He sees the shock mirrored on Shiro’s face over Keith’s shoulder.

“So it went how you wanted it to?”

Keith rolls his eyes. “I told you already. I let them have anal sex with me. I wanted to eat. I didn’t want the sex.”

“Wait, so you-”

“I didn’t kill them. They grabbed me in the streets and promised me food, so I let them, instead of killing them. So I guess you could say I agreed to it.”

“Oh gods, Keith. No. No!” Lance can’t help it. He pulls Keith in for a hug, and predictably the boy squirms, unused to the physical contact.

“Why are we hugging? It was four years ago. You want to have sex with me so let’s do it.”

Lance grips Keith by the shoulders and pushes him back so he can look Keith in the eyes. He peeks up and Shiro briefly, and sees the same determined look on the knight's face. Lance shakes Keith lightly.

“That was not consent. Sex is an act that all members want to have, and agree on. They either want it or they don’t. It’s not a maybe. You did not consent to those guys using you.”

“But I went along with it!”

“Not the same. Would you have sought them out and asked them to have sex with you without the promise of food?”

“What?! No, what the fuck!”

“Exactly. Then you didn’t consent. They forced themselves on you, and they promised you food if you went along. Not the same. Not consent.”

“O...okay. So, you want me to consent. How do I do this?”

“Keith, ask me. Tell me what you want.”

“You can...I mean, I’d like… you to have sex with me? Um, you know, the right way? The way you think it’s supposed to be, I guess? Did I say that right?”

Lance and Shiro exchange another look. Keith misinterprets. “I’m clean. I-I didn’t let anyone go without protection.”

Lance narrows his eyes. “You didn’t answer the question, Keith.”

“I-” Keith frowns. “Which one? I thought-”

“Do you want this? Did you want to have sex?”

The frown is still prominent on Keith’s face. But he stutters the words Lance wants to hear.

“Y-yes I want to have s-sex with you. Both of you.”

Lance leans forward, pushing Keith back gently and straddling him. He cups Keith’s face with his hands. “You don’t have to tell me twice. Let me show you how to make love.” He kisses Keith gently, and when the boy moans and tugs him in tighter, Lance deepens the kiss. He is going to give Keith all the love and pleasure he deserves. He feels Shiro as a warm presence behind him, and relinquishes Keith’s lips long enough for Shiro to get a chance at them. They are going to make tonight magical.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School's started back up, so I'll be busy, but I'm working as quickly as I can for you! :)
> 
> Thanks for all the love so far! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's first time.

* * *

 Actually, Lance had intended that Keith’s first time “doing it right” should be in the most luxurious room they could afford. But Keith promptly shut all that down. Shiro cautions them to take it easy and not rush it. They don’t know the extent of Keith’s previous experiences with sex. Again, Keith grabs all their plans to go slow and cautious by the dick and throws them out the window.

The soft make out session quickly turns heated as Keith takes control and loses himself in it. Shiro and Lance are fast to learn that Keith needs this escape. He wants to drown in pleasure. He’s had so little pleasure in his life that he’s becoming addicted, and the other two men happily provide that drug to him.

Keith arches his back and moans unabashedly as Lance sucks his cock. Shiro, kneeling over Keith, taps Keith’s cheek in a warning, then stuffs his dick in his mouth. Keith shivers in pleasure at the sensation of his mouth being filled with cock, and Lance groans from between Keith’s legs. Keith’s hips thrust up to meet Lance’s hot mouth, who gags and pulls off with a choke. Shiro growls and holds Keith’s hips down, using all his weight. Undeterred, Lance sits back and runs his hands up and down Keith’s hips and legs, before making eye-contact with Shiro. At an unspoken message, Shiro leans back on his knees, and braces one hand on the blankets to support himself. With the other he grabs under Keith’s knees, and hefts Keith’s legs up, making his body curl. Keith makes a surprised noise around Shiro’s dick, and then nearly shouts as Lance spreads his cheeks and dives in with his tongue. Keith moans and twitches, the most movement he can make in Shiro’s hold. He's helpless to the onslaught of euphoria that alights inside him. Then Lance is prepping him, fingers curling in and stretching and disappearing into Keith, all lubed up and slipping right in with no resistance. Soon, Keith is ready, and Shiro pulls his dick from Keith’s mouth, sitting back and holding Keith up for Lance.

Lance slides in slowly. Keith loses himself in the burn. Ice hot and cold. Too much and not enough. Keith feels like he’s slipping under. Keith fucking loves it, and moans, head tossing side to side. Fingers clenching uselessly in the blankets.

Loose, sloppy wet. Lance goes at an easy pace. Keith is so relaxed he doesn't have to force himself open to welcome Lance’s cock. The thrusts build up. Faster and faster. Keith is moaning in pleasure. Lance is groaning in bliss above him. Shiro curses and tightens his grip on Keith. Lance burrows his face in Keith’s neck and pants, forcing Keith's legs even higher. The deeper angle has Keith shouting in surprise as he's hit with something that feels like lighting sparking along his body. The sensation builds strong, and Keith cries at each thrust. Lance curses at Keith's noises, and his pace stutters, driving even deeper. Keith gasps as the sensations overwhelm him, and he distantly hears Lance’s long drawn out groans before Lance is collapsing on him.

Shiro praises them both and pets them fondly, big hands sweeping sweat and hair from foreheads, and tears from eyes.

He gives them a few moments to catch their breaths, before easing Lance out and assuming his vacated position.

Shiro sweeps Keith up tight and thrusts in hard. Even though Keith has just been used, Shiro has to fight to get his thick cock in, and Keith writhes under him. Shiro pins him with his weight. He pounds; relentless, powerful. His bulk hot and keeping Keith in place. The pace is brutal and Keith can barely moan. Lance kneeling by Keith’s neck, sucking hard, dragging whimpers from Keith. It’s too much. Keith tries to tap on Shiro’s arm, but his limbs aren’t responding. It’s like his body is going into shock from the pleasure.

“Ah! Shiro! Uhhh!”

It’s building and drowning and burning. Keith’s mouth is open, but his moans are pitched soundless. Lance grabs Keith’s cock and pumps. Keith shakes, overstimulated. Shiro growls. The pressure builds, and then-

Keith’s world explodes. Keith floats in a sea of light, watching the shimmering as pleasure crashes over and over. Eventually the waves slow, until they are just small ripples hitting his thighs.

Soft words pull him back.

Kisses from Shiro and whispers from Lance. It helps him return to the present.

Keith is laying there panting, chest heaving, trying to catch his breath. A deep satisfaction sings through his body, and centers in the sweet spot between his legs. The sensations spiral out, pleasure pulsing. Not an inch of him is sore; his body was made for this. He just feels good. Sated. Euphoric. Soon, he catches his breath, and he’s aware of his weak, trembling limbs and the bone tired exhaustion that oppresses his body.

He will sleep soundly tonight.

* * *

Shiro tucks a blanket in around Keith and pulls Lance in on his other side. The mage curls in cutely, slotting in perfectly next to him. Shiro does not have a lot of soft spots, and that’s only partially of his own doing. He’s been sculpted to be the perfect warrior from a young age, and fighting on behalf of the princess results in sacrifices being made. But from the day the two met, Lance pried Shiro open like a clam and wrestled his way in. At first Lance was an annoying grain of sand scratching on his insides, only quieted by a good fuck. But over the years Lance has softened Shiro, and in return Shiro has helped temper Lance, until he is a shining pearl. Through guidance, Lance has learned focus, ruthlessness, and how to play on a man’s weakness. Some might call it corruption, but Shiro calls it survival. He cares about the fragile mage. And while Lance would snap him in half if he ever heard Shiro call him fragile, that’s the truth of the matter. Should Lance’s magic ever fail him, Lance would be defenseless. The least Shiro can do is train the mage to use his other qualities.

Lance snorts in his sleep, and Shiro catches himself smiling softly at the drool wetting his shirt. Keith whimpers in his sleep, and Shiro turns his head to look at the boy, petting his dark hair until he settles. Shiro thought he had only one soft spot, but thanks to Lance he probably now has two.

Shiro meditates instead of sleeping. Lance is completely dead the world, a deviation from his normal light sleep, and it only happens when he’s been drinking or fucking. With Lance out like a light, it’s Shiro’s responsibility to keep them safe in the night.

It’s a few hours from dawn when Keith stirs next to him. Shiro closes his eyes and feigns sleep. Maybe the kid just needs to piss. But Shiro’s learned to trust his instincts, and he keeps still. Sure enough, Keith carefully extracts himself from the nest of blankets, and heads to the trees. And then he disappears.

Shiro is dying to follow him. To see where he goes and learn the truth about his intentions. But he’s got Lance sleeping vulnerable next to him, and Shiro has to stay. He keeps his eyes peeled for anything unusual, but it’s not until a couple hours later, just as the sun is lightening the sky, that Keith returns. Shiro snaps his eyes shut and listens to Keith burrow himself back in, seeking warmth.

Maybe he just really had to shit? Or he's sore? They weren’t exactly kind to his ass last night. But instead of calling Keith out like he really wants to, he’ll play the long game. Tomorrow they will establish some ground rules, and if Keith continues to break them, then, well… Shiro would actually miss the kid. It’s only been a day, but it’s been a memorable one.

And he’s a great fuck. It would such a shame.

* * *

Shiro drops the idea casually during breakfast.

“So I think it’s time we established some rules.”

Lance looks up from where he’s checking supplies and gives Shiro a look, but doesn’t comment. Keith hardly spares either of them a look. He’s happily shoveling breakfast. But Shiro can see the circles under his eyes. Shiro wonders if Keith gets up early every morning. When Keith has finished his oatmeal, he lowers the bowl and looks up expectantly at Shiro.

“Alright. What are they?”

Lance raises himself from his crouch. He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. “Yes Shiro, what are these rules you speak of? Let’s hear them.”

Shiro turns to Keith. “I just have three.” He waits for Keith’s nod. “First, don’t go off on your own.”

He watches Keith’s reaction closely, but the boy shows no signs of guilt or anything. Was he dream walking? Shiro shakes himself mentally and moves on.

“Second, don’t keep anything important from us.”

Again, no reaction from Keith but Lance is definitely eyeing him now. “And third?” Lance edges.

“Third, don’t get in the way of the mission.”

Keith watches Shiro. Shiro stares back. Lance looks at the both of them.

“Is that it?” Keith asks after a minute.

Shiro nods. “Yes. That’s it.”

“Alright. I’ll do my best. Lance um, are there any seconds?”

Lance tuts and moves to refill Keith’s bowl.

Shiro stands in the middle of the camp awkwardly, then goes to pack up his things. After Keith has finished his second bowl and mentions going for a piss, Lance sides up next to Shiro.

“What the hell was that?” he whispers. Shiro leans in to respond.

“He was out on his own early this morning. He was gone for hours. I don’t like it.”

Lance lowers the pack he’s securing with a sigh. “Ever thought that maybe he has less than stellar dreams, Shiro? He probably just needs a breath of fresh air.”

“Or he’s meeting with spies, Lance.”

Lance shakes his head. “There aren’t any spies, Shiro. But if it would make you feel better I can start securing our camp at night.”

Immediately Shiro rejects that idea. “No, save your magic for more important things. We’ll be ready to take on anything that comes at us. I just don’t like the secrecy. I don’t think he’s being completely honest with us.”

“I say give it a break, Shiro. It’s hardly been a day. But if you must, just keep an eye on him. And if something comes of it we’ll deal with it then. But it’s better if he feels he can trust us. ‘Innocent until proven guilty,’ okay?”

Shiro feels the tension leave his shoulders. “Okay.” The warrior leans in to give Lance a gentle kiss. “You always have the best advice. Thanks. That’s why I keep you around.”

“Hmm. Advice, yes.” Lance smiles. “Other things, too, I’m sure.”

Shiro pulls back enough to look up and down Lance’s body, and focuses on his legs. “I do love these pants on you. Great eye candy.” Lance pulls him in for another kiss just to shut him up. Neither of them notice Keith’s return.

Lance pulls away quickly and returns to his task, and Keith gives him a pointed look and mouths the words “that’s not nothing.”

Lance maturely sticks his tongue out at the kid.

* * *

The three make good time the next day. The path they follow is well-maintained, but they don’t come across any other travelers. The thick forest around them begins to break up, interrupted by large boulders. The soft rich dirt becomes rocky, and the air cools. They are heading closer to the mountains.

Up until now, they haven’t talked much. But as Lance excitedly runs off to gather herbs from the nearby meadow, Keith turns to Shiro.

“So, Lance told me a little about you.”

Shiro rests his hand on the sword at his hip. “Oh yeah? What did he say?”

Keith leans back against a tree trunk and crosses his arms. “He said something about you being a big hero.”

It’s the tone that has Shiro tilting his head. “Do you not believe the story?”

“No, that’s not the part I find hard to believe. He also said you two weren’t a thing. That you weren’t together.”

Shiro learned quickly when traveling with Lance that it was always best to go along with Lance’s story. Of the two of them, Lance could come up with a better one on the fly, and he never forgot his cover. Shiro schools his face and tries to look uninterested.

“We aren’t together.”

Keith points accusingly. “You are lying through your teeth.”

Shiro shrugs, helpless.

“Why the big cover up? What’s wrong with being together? Everything I’ve seen from even the short time with you guys, you look like you’re in love! So why are you fighting it?”

Shiro closes his eyes. “It’s whatever Lance wants it to be, and just leave it at that, alright?” The warrior strides forward to go collect the mage now thoroughly covered in leaves, and Keith watches them go with narrowed eyes. He’s going to get those two to admit their feelings if it’s the last thing he does.

* * *

The troupe stops for lunch by a spring, and Keith’s training goes about as poorly as it did the day before. As the evening sets in they find a place to camp, but Shiro announces over dinner that according to their map they will get to sleep in the local village at the base of the mountain tomorrow night. That puts Lance in high spirits, but all three are tired from their travels and simply snuggle up to share warmth and sleep.

Keith sleeps poorly, and both Shiro and Lance are awoken by his fitful tossing and turning. It’s clear he’s having night terrors.

“Ah, poor thing. Just as I suspected.” Lance sighs.

“Should we wake him up?” Shiro asks.

“I don’t know. Did you want to test your theory or not? If we wake him up he won’t go off by himself, and you won’t have any proof.”

Shiro curses under his breath, but does nothing. Sure enough, Keith's dreams seem to get more horrific, and he shows signs of waking. Lance drags Shiro to lie back down in the blankets and fake sleep. Keith jerks awake with a cry, and hurriedly wipes tears from his face as his body shakes. When his breath has settled, Keith carefully extracts himself from the bedroll and heads to the forest. It’s just a few hours until sunrise.

Lance rolls to face Shiro and the two look at one another.

“Maybe it’s the outdoors that does it, Shiro,” Lance whispers. “Maybe it brings back bad memories.” Shiro doesn’t reply except to frown. Then he pulls the mage to him and wraps his arm around him securely, nuzzling into Lance’s neck. Lance sighs as his body relaxes into Shiro's hold.

Tomorrow, they’ll see if sleeping in a proper bed will help the kid sleep better.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ty to everyone for your love. See you in a few days!  
> I'm on tumblr too! [Nutella0Mutt](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning sex, a training break-though, and Keith feels.

* * *

As usual, Keith makes it back to the camp right before dawn. Finally exhausted, he tries to get a few hours of sleep in before it’s time for breakfast. He manages to drift off peacefully. However, it’s not Lance calling him to food that wakes him up later, it’s Lance _moaning._

Right fucking next to him!

“Ah! Fuck, Shirooo~”

Lance arches his stomach off the blankets with a sharp cry, which trails into a long drawn out moan.

Lance was on his elbows, ass high in the air. Shiro had a hand on the back of Lance’s head, shoving his head face down into the blankets and pulling tight on his hair. Shiro’s face was buried deep in the cleft of Lance’s ass, licking and slathering hungrily. Keith watches, eyes wide, as Shiro yanks sharply, drawing another cry from Lance.

“Oh God! Fuck!”

Lance whined, fingers gripping blankets tight, clenching and unclenching with each wave of pleasure. Shiro pulls his mouth away from Lance’s quivering hole, and swiftly thrusts three fingers in deeply. Lance shouts, head coming up at the jolt of ecstasy, and Shiro growls in warning. He shoves Lance’s face back down and leans his whole body over the tanned back, keeping his fingers in deep. He catches Keith watching and smirks, increasing his brutal pace.

Lance is sobbing, tears running down his face and making the blankets wet. Lance convulses, coming with a soundless cry, dribbling the blankets with his seed. Shiro keeps fucking Lance with his fingers and his other hand sneaks down to Lance’s limp dick and milks it. Lance arches, keening, trying to escape the overstimulation. But Shiro lays on him more heavily in response.

Lance is pinned.

He screams, and electricity explodes from Lance’s whole body.

Keith jerks back, more in shock than in pain, but Shiro grits his teeth as he takes the hit, and Lance collapses below him as he stuns himself.

Shiro recovers quickly, though, and flips Lance over onto his back. Lance’s head lolls, still mindless, but Shiro is slicking himself up with Lance’s own cum and thrusting in, fucking hard between the spread legs. Lance regains some of his sense shortly after, drooling and whimpering, body shaking. He’s so strung up yet relaxed and loose and it’s the hottest fucking thing Keith has ever seen in his 22 years.

“Enjoying the sight, boy?”

Keith can’t even begin to form a response. His eyes keep flicking between the euphoric expression on Lance’s face and where Shiro’s cock is disappearing into Lance’s hole. He’s so hard it hurts. Keith gets a hand down his pants to pull his throbbing cock free, spits in his palm, and jerks off to the sight.

Shiro grunts and he begins to chase his own release. “This could be you one day. The mage all spread and loose and ready. After I warm him up for you, of course.” Keith is dying at the mental image. Goddamn that sounds hot as fuck! Shiro grits his teeth, and punctuates each word with a deep thrust. “He’s. Such. A. Good. Fucking. Lay! Ahh!”

Shiro cries hoarsely as he climaxes, Lance right behind him, screaming, and plants burst into life around the blanket and quickly wrap around the conjoined bodies. Keith is panting, too distracted to do more than swat at the vines that twist around his arms and legs as he chases his own completion. He spills heavily into his hand.

Shiro groans and falls to one elbow, keeping his weight off Lance as he waits for the mage to recover.

Slowly but surely, the plants retreat back into the earth, and Shiro pulls out carefully, rubbing a hand soothingly along Lance’s thigh whenever Lance hisses in pain. Fully out, Shiro pulls Lance to him, heedless of the mess and of Keith, and drapes a semi-clean blanket over the two of them.

Keith wipes his hand on a patch of the blanket and comes to snuggle Lance’s other side. He inhales deeply the smell of Lance and sweat and Shiro and cum, and feels like he’s ascended to heaven. He’s nosing at Lance’s neck unknowingly, and Lance utters a soft chuckle before dozing off. Keith follows soon after, lulled by Shiro’s soft snores.

* * *

The only downside to the morning show, Keith thinks, is the clean up. It takes so long they don’t even have time for breakfast. Lance tosses them bread and cheese to eat on the road. Keith can’t feel upset, though. It was totally worth it.

The whole rest of the day Shiro is smug as a fucking bug in a rug. Lance is limping, but putting on a brave face, and Keith keeps getting hard, his mind repeating the morning over and over. They don’t make a ton of progress that day, but fortunately they don’t need it.

According to Shiro, the village is at the base of the mountain. They should make it before sundown. That is really lucky because they are all tired of being outdoors at this point.

“But I thought you guys had been doing this for four years so far?” Keith asks, skeptical. “It’s only been a few days since the last town.”

“The same could be said of you,” Lance retorts. “You should be used to this type of travel, too.” And that’s the end of that. Neither party mentions the teleportation or the dragon or the rough fucking from earlier.

 _Humans_ , Red sighs dramatically.

The air cools as they get closer to the mountain, and they are all breathing a little heavier as the elevation increases.

They stop for lunch and Keith’s training. Or as Lance thinks of it now, Keith’s beating.

“C’mon Keith! Why are you so bad at this?” Shiro growls in impatience. “It’s a surprise you’ve survived this long!”

Keith pants, but picks up his daggers again. He’s been disarmed for what feels like the hundredth time, but each round he manages to pick himself up off the ground.

Lance has to admit. Keith’s form is still sloppy and unpolished. Even he can tell, and Lance is a freaking mage.

“What he means to say, kid, is that he wants you to be safe.”

Shiro turns his back on Keith to complain at Lance. “No, what I’m saying is he’s a shit fighter.”

Keith runs at Shiro with a yell, and Lance is not at all surprised when Shiro backhands him without even looking, sending Keith to the floor hard. Lance winces in sympathy. Shiro turns and watches Keith get up more slowly this time. Lance’s sharp eyes catch the way Keith is holding himself gingerly. He wants to call it quits for the day, but Keith desperately needs this lesson, and Shiro won’t be so easily swayed.

“Hey, kid,” Lance calls to Keith, pitching his voice light.

“Ugh, don’t call me that.” Keith wipes away a trail of blood from his nose.

“Don’t even think about trying to stop me, Lance,” growls Shiro. Ha, just as he predicted.

“I wouldn’t dare. I’m merely going to sweeten the deal.”

Keith grunts. “Knock it off, Lance, I-”

“If you win, I’ll let you top,” Lance says offhandedly.

Keith’s open mouth shuts with a snap. Red blossoms across his face. Shiro turns to Lance with a raised eyebrow.

Lance gives him a sickenly sweet smile. “I’m sure even Shiro would participate in that deal. Wouldn’t you, _dear_? It is, after all, for Keith’s own safety.”

Shiro opens his mouth, thinks better of it, and closes it. Then a smirk plays across his face. “Sure. I can do that for you. Later when we get to magic fighting, if you ever beat Lance, then I’ll let you top me. Your life is worth it.” Shiro rolls his head and cracks his neck. “But if you want Lance, you gotta get through me.” Shiro takes stock of Keith’s blush, and rubs it in. “You’ve seen how beautifully Lance spreads his legs for me. I’d be willing to share. Gotta beat me first.” He crosses his arms, waiting. Taunting.

Keith, still red, tightens his hands on his daggers and gets back into a fighting stance. He’s still favoring one side and holding himself as if injured. Lance sighs. Good thing he’s an expert at healing magic. If only he could heal himself, he thinks wistfully.

Shiro beckons and Keith launches himself at Shiro with a yell. He’s got more enthusiasm this time, but his form is still all wrong. Keith lunges to the right, feigns, and slips under Shiro’s guard to stab him in the back. Or he tries to at least. As soon as he closes the distance and gets within range Shiro moves, grabbing the closest part of Keith, which just so happens to be the back of his neck. Shiro heaves with a grunt and pounds Keith into the dirt, face first. When Shiro straightens up, Keith is unmoving. Shiro nudges his still form with a boot.

“C’mon, kid. No sleeping on the job.”

Nothing.

“Shit!” Lance is already running, trying to assess the damage from meters away. What angle is his neck at? Any blood? How bad is it?!

Shiro is kneeling, one hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Keith?” He gives a shake. No response. He moves to turn the boy over and pick him up, but Lance yells at him to stop.

“Wait! Don’t move him yet! Shit!”

Lance falls to his knees beside Keith’s prone form. But before he can reach for Keith, the boy’s hand shoots out and grabs Shiro’s. Later, Lance will take pleasure in seeing the shock on Shiro’s face, a first for him. But in the moment, Lance is just as surprised as Shiro when Keith spins in the dirt, yanks, and throws Shiro forward over his shoulder. His dagger is at Shiro’s throat a heartbeat later, and Keith draws it lightly across Shiro’s bared throat with a smirk. Blood drips.

“Holy shit,” Lance mutters.

Keith drops Shiro and the dagger, and grips the front of Lance’s tunic. The look he gives Lance is killer, even with his face covered in dirt and bruises. “Looks like I get to use you tonight. I hope you’re ready.” He yanks Lance forward and smashes their lips together.

Shiro swallows, stunned. “Sneaky little shit. Fuck, this kid will be the death of me.”

Lance has to agree.

* * *

As they leave the field and head back to the main path, Keith runs to the small creek to clean up. Lance tugs Shiro aside.

“Shiro, do NOT fuck this up.”

“Haha, he’s gonna be the one fucking.”

“I’m serious. Teasing him on his...performance could really damage him. You know he’s just finally gotten to trust us. And I have little faith in his bedroom abilities given his upbringing. So please, just no comments.”

Shiro sobers up. “Fine,” he gruffs out. Then he reaches out a hand and traces it along Lance’s cheek. “You’re really taking one for the team, aren’t you?”

Lance blushes. “Well honestly, I didn’t think he would learn THAT quickly. But yes, he needed the motivation. He needs to learn to keep himself safe.”

They see Keith return, but Shiro doesn’t pull away. Instead, he brings Lance's head to his lips and gives him a kiss on the forehead. Lance sighs in contentment.

“Alright, back off Shiro. I won him fair and square.”

“That you did, kid, nice work.”

“By the way, Shiro,” Keith asks, wondering. “Have you ever beaten Lance before?”

By the way Shiro freezes, he’s taken it the wrong way, and Lance jumps in before things get misinterpreted. So what if he and Shiro enjoy some rough sex? Shiro shouldn't feel guilty about that.

“Haha, no, Shiro has never beaten me in my element. Hand-to-hand and weapons duel, sure. But in a real fighting scenario, Shiro doesn’t stand a chance.” Shiro rolls his eyes but doesn’t contradict him.

Keith crosses his arms, eyes narrowed. “Hmm, so he’s never truly earned the right to you, either. Maybe he should be working on his skills too.”

With that careless statement, Keith grabs Lance's arm and yanks him back to the trail, eager to get to the village.

Shiro sputters.

* * *

The rest of the day goes by quickly. They get to the village, Lance is quick to talk his way into getting a nice room, and waiters come by with kind words and yummy foods. Keith pays attention to hardly any of it, too wound up from this morning and too excited for tonight.

He’s going to get his dick wet tonight! And he’s going to get to fuck the hot mage. Keith misses two attempts to get his attention and sloshes food down his front in his rush to inhale his food. He knows Shiro is totally snarking at him and Lance likely has an eyebrow raised, but Keith doesn’t give a flying fuck.

He just wants to fuck!

Finally, dinner is finished and Keith drags Lance up the stairs, amidst some knowing chuckles from the other patrons. Keith could care less, but he knows he’s going to feel embarrassed about it later. But that’s a problem for tomorrow Keith.

Keith lays Lance where he wants him on the bed, then turns to Shiro, who's turning to leave.

“You leaving?” Keith can’t help the disappointed tone to his voice. He was hoping for audience participation.

Shiro waves. “I was gonna go get a drink.”

Ah ha. Keith knows that expression. “Hmm, never considered you a sore loser.”

Keith ignores Shiro's reaction and turns his attention back to Lance, and begins removing the magician's clothes. Lance gasps as he’s exposed. Shiro turns instinctively, thinking about warning Keith to be gentle, when the kid’s quiet tone surprises him.

Keith has stilled. He has his hands on Lance’s naked thighs. The marks Shiro left from earlier are now dark and raised. After a beat, Keith looks hard into Lance’s eyes. His earlier eagerness is all but gone, and instead he looks at Lance gently.  “You don’t have to do this tonight if you’re too sore. I can wait. I’ve waited this long.”

Lance gives him a fond look in reply, and brushes his knuckles along Keith’s cheek. Shiro isn’t sure what to call the emotion he’s feeling right now. Is it fondness? Relief?

“It’s okay, Keith. I don’t mind. It’s actually pretty hot like this.”

But Keith shakes his head, pulling back and stepping away from the bed.

“No, I don’t want to treat you like I was. You need to heal. I can wait.”

And with that Keith takes a deep breath and leaves the room quietly.

Something magnetic draws Shiro to Lance, who looks so vulnerable and lost spread on the bed. Lance is used to the rough and dirty. Enjoys it, even. But this soft side of things is completely new. As Shiro wraps him up in his arms, Lance’s face falls and he cries softly into Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro guesses Lance feels a lot like Shiro does: confused and unsettled, like he’s lost his footing. How is it that Keith is taking everything they were sure they knew about themselves and flipping it all upside down?

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)
> 
> I was gonna write plot and answer some questions regarding stuff, buuuut Shiro was wanting morning sex, and who am I to deny him anything? x3
> 
> Shiro and Lance have done a lot of talking. They think they know what they like, and they respect each other in the bedroom. But Keith is showing them that they can have those vulnerable sides. They don't always need to be putting on that tough-guy act. 
> 
> Also, people have said that they like Keith as the cute little helpless kitten. Well, yes so far, Shiro and Lance have only seen him in this context. But Keith DID manage to survive on his own while looking for them for 4 years, AFTER about 12 years on the streets, and he's killed people. Just wait until Keith is in his own element. Shiro and Lance won't even know what hit them.
> 
> Thanks for reading! See you this weekend!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahah so remember a month ago how I said I'd post over the weekend...and then a month later here I am? Yeah, my bad. I got super freaking busy. My kid turned 1 this week, so there was much to celebrate. And then final grades are due today for my school so there's a lot to grade... anyway, thank you for your patience! I have 2 gorgeous pieces of art to share!
> 
>   
> [on tumblr](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/178714336236/iacediai-commission-for-nutella0mutt-based-on)  
>    
>   
> [on tumblr](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/178612059731/vava-fett-commission-for-nutella0mutts-fantasy)

* * *

 Keith runs to Red because of course he does. For all she snarks about humans and their silly feelings, she’s awfully attentive to Keith’s needs.

Already very aware of the thoughts running through his head, she simply lifts a wing and lets him settle under. The weather is currently too poor for flying except in the most dire situations, and while Keith would love to run away from his thoughts, it’s not enough to justify a flight. Keith would never to anything to knowingly endanger Red.

So although he is a little unhinged at the moment, it’s nothing some cuddling won’t fix.

Keith runs his cold hands along Red’s slick wet scales as he turns his thoughts into contemplation. Red’s warmth helps ward off the chill, and he happily curls into her bulk.

Why did he stop earlier? Lance was eager. Keith wanted it. _Lance wanted it_. So why couldn’t he do it?

_It’s alright, My Light._ Red’s soft rumble soothes him like a balm, just like it always does. Keith isn’t quite sure how dragon age. Technically she’s only four years old, but she was born with a wealth of knowledge; many centuries worth. She acts both wise beyond her years and painfully childlike, but Keith wouldn’t have it any other way.

_Sometimes things happen without our understanding, and that’s okay. There are too many mysteries in the world already. To try and find answers to all would take many lifetimes._

So Keith doesn’t think on it too hard. And that helps. He knows he hasn’t had the most pleasant childhood. And based off the reactions of his guardians he’s had some bad things happen to him. Things that don’t happen to others. They look on him with pity sometimes, even when they think he isn’t looking. The consent thing, for starters. How was he to know how that works? He did what he had to survive. Things like feelings have no place in a situation like that. But Keith is very eager to leave that life behind and start this new one afresh with the two people who forever changed him for the better. And so far things are going great, ignoring his mess up today. Shiro and Lance seem like excellent people despite their tough talk. Keith’s only regret is that he won’t be around for much longer. He’s got three years to make the most of things and live to the fullest. He really doesn’t have the time to be sitting around brooding.

Keith gives a very dragon-like huff, and Red’s body shakes in a gentle laugh. Maybe it is better to be like a dragon and not worry the little things. He just wasn’t in the mood to be with Lance when he saw the mage was hurt, that’s all. He didn’t want to worry about being too rough for his first time. When Lance is all healed up they will pick back up there they left off.

 When Keith feels better to returns to town. Red glamours as a owl and sits on his shoulder as he walks, one wing outstretched across his head to keep the rain from his face. Keith takes shelter from the weather in a stable back near the inn and Red flies up to the rafters to keep watch as Keith befriends the single horse. The smell of hay and horse help calm him more, and just as he’s thinking about returning to the inn, the door opens.

* * *

It’s not until after Shiro wakes from his doze that he realizes Keith went off on his own again. Shit.

Shiro looks down at Lance sleeping in his arms. Lance had bundled himself up in the bedding once he’d calmed down and settled. It’s clear he’s exhausted; the events of earlier catching up with him. But then to add on top of that all the strange emotions they’ve both felt lately, well, that’s really what became the straw the broke the camel’s back. Shiro and Lance both know that Keith changing his mind wasn’t a rejection, so to speak. The kid’s allowed to have choices. God does he deserve to make his own decisions on things like sex. So Shiro was quick to reassure Lance that it wasn’t anything wrong with Lance himself, but that doesn’t mean Lance’s doesn’t blame himself at least a little. That’s just how the mage is.

The pleased feeling Shiro had previously felt at seeing the beautiful bruises along Lance’s body and watching the mage limp slightly now has the sour tang of guilt. Shiro used to love seeing evidence of their love making all over Lance’s gorgeous skin. Now he only feels sick.

Wait. Keith’s reaction. Was it due to seeing the bruises on Lance? Was that what made him flee? Shit. He must think Shiro’s a monster now. The knight will need to clear things up between them. Maybe he can be easier on Keith during training? Offer to get the kid some better weapons? He’ll have to find out what Keith’s interested in and see if he can’t repair some of the damage he’s caused.

Shiro carefully extracts himself from Lance’s hold, tucks him in, and after warring with himself for a second, gives in to temptation and gives Lance a soft kiss on the cheek. Lance smiles in his sleep and Shiro’s heart does fucking flips.

What the hell is wrong with him? He’s fought monsters and mages a thousand times worse, and giving Lance a fucking kiss is enough to send his anxiety spiking? Shit.

* * *

The first place Shiro looks for Keith is the stable, and that’s where he finds him. Keith is leaning against a stall door, and a curious horse is nosing at his dark hair. Keith has his arms wrapped around his legs and his head resting on his knees. He looks pensive. But he looks up and smiles when he sees Shiro.

“Hey.”

Shiro sits down next to Keith, close enough to be touching, then nudges him with a shoulder. “Hey. You alright?”

Keith nods. Then grimaces. “Ah, I’m sorry." 

Shiro takes a second, but can’t think of anything Keith did wrong.  “What for?”

Keith pokes at a piece of straw. “I went off on my own. I broke one of your rules. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

Shit. Shiro does want to uphold his rules, but that wasn’t what he came do. What should he say? Damit where’s Lance when you need him? Shiro decides to just wing it.

“Well, partially. But I’m sure you’ll make it up us later, won’t you.” Shiro practically purrs, and Keith’s eyes widen.

“Y-yeah. Whatever you want.”

Keith eyes Shiro, but the look isn’t wary. Instead it almost looks...eager? Well well well… something to keep in mind for later.

The two sit in silence for a second. Shiro opens his mouth, but Keith starts talking at the exact same time:

   “I hope you don’t think I’m a monster.”  
   “Does Lance always do that during sex?”

Shiro blinks. “Wait what?”

Keith blushes. “Does Lance always do that magic thing during sex?”

Okay, so not at all what Shiro thought Keith was thinking about. But Shiro is too eager at the change of topic to complain.

Keith misreads the look on Shiro’s face. “Sorry, what was it you were saying?”

Shiro shakes his head a little too quickly. “Nothing! Let’s talks ‘bout Lance.”

A smile finds its way unwittingly on Shiro’s face. “Lance does not always do that ‘magic thing.’ Only when it’s too much, if that makes sense." 

Keith hums. “It seems out of character for him. Lance always has such good control over himself and his magic.”

“Yes he does, and that’s what makes it great.” Shiro knows he has a dumb look on is face, but he can’t help it. Pushing Lance to his limit is definitely his number one favorite thing. “Lance really has to be driven to that state.”

Keith frowns, worried. “It looked like it was too much for him.”

Shiro leans over and drapes an arms around Keith’s shoulder and gives the kid a lewd smile.  “Yup. And he loves it.”

“Well, if he was alright then… it was pretty hot.”

“It’s great every time, but the first time was definitely the most exciting. Maybe you’ll get to experience it for yourself.”

Keith’s blushing, but he powers though. “What was it like?" 

Shiro sighs and spreads his arms out in front of him, like he could paint the scene with his hands. “Well, let me see if I can set the scene up…”

* * *

Back at the inn, Lance wakes to an empty room. He tries not to let the bitterness affect him. Shiro likely went to find the boy. No big.

Lance dresses and heads downstairs, preparing himself for whatever he might encounter. But the people hardly pay him anything but  a pitying a glance. Given Keith’s quick escape and pale face, and the fact that there was no loud lovemaking, the people could connect 2 and 2.

Lance is just about to begin his search for shiro when the inn keep approaches him, drying his hands on a dish towel.

“Excuse me sir. I know it’s late, but the Mayor is asking for you.”

“The Mayor? At this time of night?" 

“Yessir. We’re having a little bit on an issue with a cursed object. Thought you could help us out.”

Cold fear drips down Lance’s spine. Lance is suddenly glad shiro is out looking for Keith. Cursed objects are no joke.

“Where can I find the Mayor?”

* * *

It turns out the cursed object seems to be in a cave nearby. The townspeople have no actual proof, but there’s nothing else around. 

Helping this town won't lead the three of them any closer to their quest, but they will be paid handsomely for their work. Normally Lance wouldn’t bother, but if the mission does goes sideways it might be nice to have some friendly faces they can hide among until things blow over. Not to say that Allura would punish them for their failure should the rumors turn out to be just that, but well… historically royals were known to be unpredictable.

This particular curse sounds like a nasty one. Those with sadness in their hearts keep their emotions bottled until their hearts collapse inward like a black hole and the person is turned into a demon. Normally curses only affect a small percentage of the population, but this one could wipe out the whole town. Because honestly, who didn’t have a little sadness in their hearts?

Apparently there were only two victims so far. It started about a month ago. A recently widowed man and a dog whose child master had succumbed to an illness. The man had been discovered before it had been to late and was taken to the city church for care, but the dog had been beyond help and had to be put down. A nasty business all around. 

In hopes of warding off the curse the mayor had declared a recent boom of festivals and community activities to keep spirits high, but it was only a temporary fix. They really needed powerful magic and, well, Lance just happened to drop by. Also, the sooner he fixed it the less chance Shiro or Keith might fall prey.  Because damn if those two didn’t have their own unpleasant burdens.

Now that he has some ideas on the where and the why and the how, Lance wants to brief them on the plan. Hopefully the others were back at the inn by now.

* * *

Shiro is well into his story, and Keith is bright red and eyes wide. Shiro can’t be blamed for elaborating a some parts, but it’s worth it to see the awed expression on the kid’s face

“So there he is, spread out gorgeously like he does, a pleasure toy deep in him. He’s already cum from just the toy, but then I go and ease in right next to it, all the way to the hilt. He’s already stretched to his limit and there I am asking for _more._ Well, needless to say that pleasure-pain response triggered and he’s crying out and cumming, and before I can anchor him and bring him back to Earth,” Shiro mimics an explosion with his hands. “ **BOOM!”**

Keith is listening with rapt attention. Eyes wide and a little glossy as he imagines the scene.

“I come to a few minutes later. Lance is cleaning the cum from both of us, and the bed, and the walls because damn if that lightning didn’t make a goddamn mess of things. The ceiling has a lovely scorch mark, and while mages are mostly immune from their own magic damage, I was not. Damn electricity nearly took my arm off. I got real lucky it went through my metal arm and didn’t stop my heart.”

Shiro raises his right arm and inspects it, fingers clacking together as he clenches his hand into a fist. “I guess it has something going for it after all. It absorbs any electricity. Otherwise sex with Lance would have been very exciting and very short lived.”

Keith gulps. And then asks the question he’s been curious about.

“So this morning there was both electricity and plants. Is it random?”

“I am happy to say that I’ve conducted enough experiments to know the answer,” Shiro says with a wicked grin.

“Electricity happens when he’s on the border of pleasure and pain, that moment that seems like almost too much ecstasy to handle.” Shiro looks at Keith with a heavy look, and lowers his voice sensually. Keith shivers.

“Fire comes with edging and denying him release. That all consuming burning brings forth flames. Quite a fun one, that.”

Keith feels himself getting hard, between the visions he’s imagining of Shiro discovering Lance’s sexual magical quirks, and the look Shiro is giving him. It’s almost like the knight is carefully observing Keith, seeing the effects of his words on the boy. 

“What about the plants?” Keith nearly whispers.

“The plants are one of my favorite. When Lance has been pushed to his limit. Overstimulated, sometimes to the point of pain, and usually from multiple orgasms.”

“But isn’t earth magic the one that takes the least energy? Why such a weak magic for such a powerful feeling?”

“Ah,” Shiro says with a knowing look. “My theory is because that’s all that’s left in him. A few vines and a couple flowers is all he can handle after I’m done with him.”

Keith zones out a little bit, remembering Lance crying and begging, and the vines. Maybe they could use those for sex. Would Lance feel it if Keith fucked himself on one of Lance’s vines that he summoned after cumming over and over?

Shiro chuckles and eye’s Keith’s crotch, and that brings him back to himself. He playfully shoves at Shiro.

“I haven’t pushed him to the point of light or dark magic yet, but we don’t want him summoning anything nasty in bed so I’m fine with that.”

Keith nods in agreement. Nothing like a reanimated corpse crawling from the floorboards to ruining the mood.

Shiro winks at Keith and continues. “As fun as it is, Lance doesn’t do magic every time we have sex.”

“But you try to trigger him,” Keith says knowingly.

Shiro doesn’t even try to hide the truth. “Yes, I do try to trigger it.”

“Why? To spice things up?”

“Well, it’s more than that. It’s important for Lance to let loose. I know he keeps a good lid on things, on it but he doesn't let himself relax much. He doesn’t really have an outlet besides me. He doesn’t feel safe letting it out any other way.”

“The same could say the same for you, Shiro.”

That catches Shiro off guard. “What?”

Keith looks at Shiro earnestly. “You also don’t give yourself much of a break. But you can let loose around Lance because you know he can take you on. He can handle you. He takes whatever you give him.”

Shiro snorts, half in agreement and half in doubt. Maybe Keith is on to something, but the notion is also a little bit ridiculous. “Lance does not take everything I give him. He _lets_ me get close. Lance is the ultimate ice queen, but he hides it with a smile. He hardly lets anyone close”

“But he let you close." 

“He just wanted a good fuck,” Shiro says dismissively. “That’s all I am to him.”

Keith shakes his head. “I don’t believe that, Shiro, and I don’t think you really do either.”

“To change the topic, the reason I don’t relax much is due to my upbringing. My life has always been full of discipline. Lance is supposed to be a carefree naive mage. But the reality is he’s seen too much; he’s been through too much for that.”

“Oh yeah, he mentioned his family’s struggles...”

Keith trails off, and the two listen to the rain pick up on the roof of the stable. Shiro should be getting Keith back to the inn soon. Lance might be waking up shortly and he doesn’t want the mage to wake up alone if he can help it.

“You know, the same could be said for you too, kid.”

“Hmm?”

“You too should be living a happy, carefree life. You should be worried about trying to get into a girl’s skirts or earn your first kill. About having the latest new sword design. The fastest horse. The coolest clothes. The most exotic slave. Raising you first wolf.” Shiro howls, making the horse behind them snort.

“I hate wolves,” Keith says laughing.

Shiro pulls up his knees and throws his arm around them, mimicking Keith’s posture. “Yeah? What would you raise, then?” 

“I wonder…” Keith says. His eyes stray to the barn owl in the rafters.

Shiro follows his gaze up. Then he looks back at Keith, unimpressed.

 “A bird? Really?”

Keith shrugs.

“Birds are so Lance, Keith. You could have a badass wolf like I did as a kid. I had to train it with my own bare hands. That’s the thing about wild animals, ya know? You have to prove that you’re the alpha. Never let them have their way.” Shiro stops to jostle Keith and make him pitch to the side, ignoring Keith’s yelp.

“Anyway, let’s go find the mage. I wonder what mischief he got into. Hopefully he’s not drinking. Damn between the two of you I feel like a babysitter. A man-child and an actual child running around.”

Keith shoves him. “I’m not a kid! I’m 22.”

“Sure sure whatever, Kid.”

* * *

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings, caves, and ogreish cyclops bears, oh my!

* * *

 

Lance isn’t in the room when they go up to check, but as they come back down the stairs to dining hall they see the mage enter through the door.

It’s late. Only a couple patrons are in the hall finishing up their drinks, but Lance gestures them back up to the room. Shiro wants to crack a joke or apologize for leaving Lance alone, but the mage’s expression is all business. 

“I got a call from the mayor,” Lance starts off as Shiro leans against the door. Keith stands there awkward for a second before taking a seat on the floor and crossing his legs. Lance is the only one not wet from the rain, so he sits on the bed and rests elbows on his knees. But despite his forced relaxed pose, his body is tense.

“The mayor, huh?” Shiro raises an eyebrow. “Sounds like something big.”

“It is.” Lance crosses his arms and leans back. “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news?” He looks at both Keith and Shiro.

The kid looks at a loss of words, like he’s surprised Lance is asking for his input. “Um… whichever is fine?”

Shiro sighs. “The bad news. Always. C’mon Lance.”

“Alright. Bad news it is. Well, there’s a magic object causing the town some grief. The mayor wants us to retrieve it and destroy it.”

Keith tilts his head, confused. “Okay, maybe it’s just because I’m new to all  this, but what’s so bad about that?”

Shiro answers for him. “It’s a delay we really don’t have time for. And anything magic can be nasty business. How bad we talking, Lance?” Shiro has been working with Lance a long time. If the mage says it’s bad, it’s downright lethal. 

Lance sighs. “We should be fine. We aren’t sure exactly what it is but they’re determined its location is likely in a cave nearby. The worry is if any kids or wanderers get into that cave by mistake.”

“Hmmm.” Shiro adjusts his position. “Alright, and the good news?” 

“Basically we’d be the good samaritans. We’re pretty much the only ones that can get rid of it. Not only would we be handsomely rewarded, we would be making allies should we ever need to return and lay low.”

Shiro nods. “That’s always a bonus. It’d be nice to leave behind some happy people for once. Alright How far away is this cave?”

Lance just gives him a look and Shiro coughs. 

“Right. Okay. First thing in the morning, then?’

Lance chuckles at Shiro’s eagerness. “Sounds good. Keith, how about you use the washroom first. You’re soaking wet.”

Keith jolts, both from embarrassment at being called out and indignation. “What? Shiro is wet, too--”

“ _ Keith. _ ”

“Fine fine,” he concedes, and begins undressing. He throws his wet garments all over the wood floor with a plop and a defiant look, daring either of them to say anything as he marches into the washroom buck naked. 

With Keith out of earshot, Lance turns to Shiro.

“Glad to see you found him,” Lance starts off. He makes a sour look and begins picking up Keith’s soggy clothes. “Did you get to talk to him?”

Shiro shrugs. “Kinda?”

Lance looks over his shoulder and raises his eyebrow at Shiro.

The warrior sighs and it’s like the string holding him upright snaps. He slouches over, shoulders raised as he wards off Lance’s silent disapproval. “Fine. No, not really. We didn’t talk about it. He didn’t bring it up and I didn't wanna push. Im…” Shiro trails off, at a loss.

Lance pulls his attention from where he’s pinching the clothes between his fingers and gives Shiro his full attention. He note Shiro’s hesitation. “What is it?”

Shiro crosses his arms and can’t meet Lance’s curious eyes. He doesn’t like what he’s about to say, but he manages to spit it out. “I’m not sure he’s aware what happened. He acted like nothing was different. I think he’s hidden or repressed it or something.”

Fear settles over Lance like ice down his back. 

_ Shit shit shit. Maybe they should leave Keith in town. If Keith gets anywhere near that object he’s done for. _

Having reached a decision, Lance snaps. The wet clothes dry with a  _ poof _ and he quickly folds them on the bed. Done, he turns to face the knight. “Shiro, I need to be real with you.”

Immediately, Shiro picks up on the serious tone. “What’s going o-”

The washroom door bangs open. Lance and Shiro jump as Keith exits.

“Okay! I’m done.” Keith looks like a wet dog bundled in the towel the way his hair is sticking up and dripping everywhere, and his unimpressed look completed the image. Keith sticks out a thumb towards the washroom. “Shiro get your ass in there. The hot water ran out halfway, sorry not sorry.”

Lance and Shiro are still frozen, but Shiro shakes himself and tuts at his ward. “Wow. Thanks a lot, kid.”

He makes a show of stripping methodically and putting his removed clothes in a neat pile. Keith rolls his eyes and pulls the towel in closer as he rummages through his sack for his sleeping garments. With a soft sound of victory he throws them off and ruffles his hair one more time with the towel before draping it over a chair.

Keith turns towards the bed and freezes as he sees Lance putting on his own sleeping clothes. Suddenly and uncharacteristically self-conscious, the mage hurries to pull the shirt down over his head to hide his bruises and gives Keith a weak smile. 

“Ready for bed?” he tries. Lance isn’t sure where they stand right now, so he’s going to tread carefully.

Keith’s frozen a moment longer before he tenses and crosses his arms, pulling back a step. Lance knows Keith isn’t doing it on purpose but the sudden show of insecurity and distance stings. They were doing so well, and then once Keith actually saw him it all went to shit. Were he and Shiro too rough with him the woods earlier and scared him off? Keith didn’t seems to have any issues taking them, but was it the idea of leading that killed the mood? Or was it the marks that Lance had begged for from Shiro in the moment the trigger? Lance being filthy and needy and wanting the pain. He’s well aware that it isn’t a normal thing to want during sex, but it never used to bother Lance before. Shiro was the only one that not only seemed okay with Lance’s dark side, but enjoyed giving the mage what he craved. 

Lance wants to find out where he and Keith went wrong, but he doesn’t know what he’ll do if it turns out he’s the problem. Ugh, this was never an issue for him before. He did what he wanted when he wanted, and screw what anyone else thought. Shiro was quick to jump on the bandwagon and respect his wishes. But now there’s a whole other person to take into consideration. Lance finds himself having to be more gentle and careful than he ever had to be before.

Keith slowly approaches Lance, stopping right in front of him. He swallows and lowers his head.

“Lance I’m sorry about earlier. I’m not sure what came over me I just got so sad and…”

The boy sniffles and Lance feels like a blighted fool. He’d been so worried about himself when this kid’s been blaming himself for the whole thing.

“Oh Keith. No no, it’s fine.” Lance pulls Keith in for a hug, and the boy stiffens before he eventually relaxes in Lance’s arms.

“You’re fine, Keith. Don’t even worry about it, alright? You just do things at your own pace. You know Shiro and I just want to take care of you.”

Keith freezes again, and Lance pauses, confused for a second, before he curses his damn mouth. Lance had just gone and said it! Just freely admitted that he and the warrior want to protect Keith and keep him safe. Was it too much too fast? Keith had approached them with the intention of serving as some sort of sexual pleasure slave. And they had originally taken him up on that! Look back on how eager and horny they were makes Lance feel sick. 

Shit.

“Really?” Keith doesn’t pull back. In fact, he holds on tight, voice painfully small and hopeful.

Shit! Well, no point in denying it now. Lance pulls Keith in closer and rests his head on the boy’s hair. 

“Yes, really. We want to make you happy.” Lance puts his arms on Keith’s and pulls back just enough so their eyes can meet. “I’m actually really glad you found us. We’ve been wondering what happened to that runt from Arus. Shiro kept thinking you’d perished and bemoaned the waste of money, as insignificant an amount that it was.”

Keith pulls back, and Lance lets him arms fall. He waits for Keith to make the first move.

“Um, well, thanks again for that. And for this, too. I really want to take you up on your offer to um,” and here Keith blushes cutely, “but maybe, after you heal up, alright? I just, it doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t want to worry about hurting you. Even though you may, uh, like it.”

A smile spills across Lance’s face. He ruffles Keith’s hair. “That sounds fine. And as much as I love it when Shiro’s rough, I  _ could _ use the break. Ready to turn in?”

Keith nods shyly.

In the washroom, Shiro has just finished. He works quick to rinse his hair, half because he wants to get back to Lance and half because the water is fucking freezing. Holy shit!

But by the time he makes it out to the bedroom, Lance and Keith are snuggled in together under the blankets and fast asleep. This time shiro doesn’t fight the impulse and kisses them both before snuggling in on Keith’s other side.

That night Keith sleeps soundly and does not disappear. Shiro thinks the warm bed might be a factor, and decides to start keeping notes. 

* * *

No matter how many times Lance tries to grab a second alone with Shiro, he’s unsuccessful. When Lance had woken up alone with Shiro, he had tried to nudge the warrior awake, only for Keith to return from the washroom and drag them back in for snuggles.

On the way to breakfast Lance pulled Shiro aside into a shadowed corner ito share his concerns about brining Keith along, but the damned man had misinterpreted the gesture and immediately tried to cop a feel. Lance huffed and smacked Shiro halfheartedly before storming off, much to Shiro’s confusion.

By the time they left the town Keith had noticed. Lance tried one last time to no avail. Lance had lagged behind a bit, letting Keith go on ahead, and then grabbed Shiro behind a tree and attempted to hiss out his worries. Keith popped his head from around the trunk and flatly commented that if they two had some alone time for sex they could have just asked. Shiro had turned to Lance with a hopeful look in his eyes. Lance sighed, raised his eyes to the heavens, and wearily waved to two along. 

Hopefully they would find and dispose of the cursed object very quickly.

* * *

The troupe stops in front of a large mossy cave. It’s predictably dark inside, and the cold air wafting from it carries a musty stench with a tang of animal smell. On the ground by their feet are patches of fur and a few dusty bones. All signs point to the cave being uninhabited. Frankly, the whole thing is suspicious.

“This thing is suspicious as hell,” Keith says pointedly. 

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing, squirt,” Shiro says, slapping Keith on the shoulder.

Lance smirks. At least his companions aren’t stupid. Maybe everything will go to plan after all.

“I think we should go in,” Keith says.

“Yup, I agree,” replies Shiro.

Lance exhales harshly. Never mind. His companions are stupid as hell. God they sure wouldn’t last long without him. This is his last chance to keep the others from entering and possibly getting cursed.

“Are you guys sure you want to go in? There is definitely something big and nasty and powerful living in there. Maybe we should call it quits after all?”

Keith turns to look at Lance over his shoulder. “You getting cold feet already, Lance? Anything that strong should be defeated. And also, to prove that we can.”

The hand on Keith’s shoulder pulls him in for a noogie, and as Keith squirms, Shiro chuckles. “It could also have some cool shit. We got to see about getting this kid some weapons. Looks like a good place to start.”

Lance sighs as Shiro leads Keith through the ominous, empty opening. He summons a ball of light with a flick, and it follows over his shoulder, illuminating the area around them.

The rest of the cave follows just like the front. Mossy, stale, dusty. Lance is sure by now that it’s an illusion or glamor, but when he reaches out with his magic to identify the trick, it falls just out of reach. He can’t get a pinpoint on what exactly is causing the effect. Lance likes to think of himself as a strong magician. His identifying magic only fails him on two occasions. One, when the magic he’s trying to label is too strong. And two, when there’s nothing there to find. But shit he needs to find out where the hell this damn object is so they can deal with it quick.

Frustrated, Lance tries again and again. Keith doesn’t notice, but Shiro, who always seems to be more in-tune with the arcane, turns to give Lance a questioning look.

“You’re putting out a lot of magical energy. Doing okay back there?”

Lance huffs, then gives up trying to pinpoint the magic. It might be nothing at all except a normal fucking, yet creepy, cave. Maybe they have the wrong place. No point in wasting his magic any more. He tries to change the subject.

“So, what do you guys think used to live in here?”

“An ogre,” Shiro says immediately. 

“Hmm, not enough human remains. I’m thinking a cyclops. What about you, Keith?”

“A bear.”

Shiro tries not to trip over a dusty femur, while Lance freezes in shock. The two shout out nearly simultaneously.

“A fucking what?!”  
“Bear? Seriously?!”

Keith doesn’t respond, continuing through the cave at a brisk pace.

“It’s getting colder and wetter. I think we’re heading downward.” He starts jogging ahead, disappearing around a curve, and Shiro and Lance scramble to catch up.

“Wait, Keith! Hold on!”

“Wait up for us! Keith!”

They round the curve, but the boy is gone. Just the chilly air and moist walls.

Shiro stamps the group. “Goddamn that kid is fast!”

Shit this is  _ not good _ . They need to find Keith and quick.

A rumble shakes the walls, and a fierce growl rings out from the direction Keith most likely went. 

“Fuck!” Shiro says with feeling, and Lance can’t help but echo the thought. If something happened to Keith now… after they had finally been reunited again... Lance didn’t think he could bare it. It had been hard enough abandoning him the first time in that inn. Keith had been sickly. He was weak and frail, and although he had made a little progress throughout the night, it wasn’t enough to justify moving him. Bringing him along would have been a death sentence. And that was before they had even gotten to know him and become attached. The cold sensation Lance has come to associate with fear shoots down his veins. He won’t let Keith fall into a sickness like that ever again. Ahead of him, he sees Shiro give a shudder. They’ve got to get to him, and they’ll make it too late at their current speed. 

Making a quick decision, Lance lunges, grabs the back of Shiro’s armor, and yanks back. He closes his eyes, zeros in on Keith’s energy and-  _ there! _

Lance has a split second to confirm that yes, Keith is alive, before Shiro crashes backwards into Lance’s chest, cussing. Then he jolts forward with a groan.

“Goddamnit I  _ hate it _ when you do that!” Shiro leans forward, bracing his hands on his knees, and gags.

Lance races towards Keith. And stops when he sees the huge beast in front of the boy. Shit! So that’s why he couldn’t identify the glamor! On the other hand, maybe the object isn’t here after all.

Shiro straightens up. Then he chuckles. Lance and Keith both turn to give him a befuddled look. There’s nothing funny about this... _ thing _ in front of them.

“It looks like we were all right! An ogreish cyclops bear. That thing is mother fucking hideous.”

Lance turns back to the beast and squints. He can see Keith tilting his head like a puppy. 

“I guess I can see it. It’s missing one eye.”

“I’ve never seen a furry ogre, though,” Lance ponders. “I wonder what happened to it?”

“Damn we should do it a favor and just end it now,” the knight growls.

Keith points excitedly to the pile of loot behind the creature. “Look! It’s got treasure! There might be something good here.”

Shiro unsheathes his great sword from his back. He means business, and Lance is grateful. They will need all the help they can get. Lance summons his staff and hollars to Keith.

“Keith! Get back here and let us handle it!”

For once, the kid listens, and dodges back as the… ogre bear smashes a meaty fist downward. He misses Keith by a mile, but the impact against the cave floor angers the beast, and it howls in agony, angry. It lumbers forth, aiming for Lance’s magic ball of light, but Shiro deftly steps in front.

“Eyes on me, baddie. I’ll be your opponent.” He swings the huge sword with effortless precision, nicking the defenseless spots on the ankles and thighs. Even from the back of the fight, Lance can see how thick the skin on this creature is. The best Lance can hope to do is stun or freeze the creature long enough for Shiro to reach the vulnerable parts of its face. Lance concentrates, summons forth an icy bold of electric frost, because Lance does nothing by halves, and sends it right towards the creature’s face. The creature howls and its wails of agony do nothing for Lance, and he is pleased to note that Keith also has a hardened look on his face. Good. If he were to begin feeling remorse for their enemies, he wouldn’t last long. The ogre bear swings about blindly, its one good eye closed and frosted over. It is definitely part orc, for it enters a berserker mode, drawing power from the pain, anger, and rage and swinging around with more violence than before. It crashes into the walls and its fists pummel the ceiling, loosening huge boulders that crash to the ground and shatter upon impact. The three men have to jump and dodge to avoid the falling rocks. 

“Shiro! Keith! To me! The best we can do now is hope it kills itself at this point.” Lance swings his arm in an arc, and a strong barrier springs up around him. Shiro reaches him first, skidding behind him and panting at the exertion.

Lance keeps his eyes on the rampaging beast, but hollers over his shoulder. “Where’s the boy?”

Shiro looks up, shocked. “I thought he was here with you!”

A gasp pulls their attention, and both men turn to see Keith cornered at the feet of the angry ogre bear. He’s lost his footing and is trying to pick himself up off the ground. The frost has melted from the monster’s remaining eye, and it’s angry, bloodshot gaze is leveled right at Keith. It has its clasped fists heaving up over its head. It’s preparing for a fatal down strike. The kid has to move  _ now _ .

“Keith! Move!”

The fists speed downward just as Keith attempts to dodge the hit. The cave floor cracks under the weight of the smash, and pebbles and dust fly up into the air. 

* * *

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mage, a warrior, and a duckling walk into a cave...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Like I said on Guide and Guard, I'm here and alive! I'm just in the middle of trying to buy a house for my 1 year old son, so things are crazy! But here it is, an update.
> 
> A number of you have been eagerly awaiting this moment! Enjoy! <333

* * *

  _“KEITH!”_

Lance’s heart is in his throat. Shiro makes an anguished sound and begins to charge the beast, who is whimpering from it’s shattered hands. Just as Shiro reaches the monster and pulls his sword back for the final thrust through it’s brain, twin knives stab its eye sockets. Blood sprays from its face, coating Shiro and the floor and walls with red. Shiro stares in shock as the beast wails, and raises its damaged hands to fling the pest from its head. Keith’s body is swatted like a fly, and he hits the ground hard. Lance runs to him as Shiro deals the final blow, severing the huge head from its grotesque body.

Keith’s already getting up when Lance crouches by his side. He pushes Lance’s searching hands off him, but grabs Shiro’s offered arm to pull himself up. Lance is still too shaken up by the close call, so he’s thankful when Shiro is the one that starts lecturing him.

“What were you even thinking?! You… why- you know what, my nerves are still too shot for this, and I am a fucking knight. Gods above kid you’re gonna give me gray hairs.”

Keith takes a step, wobbles and chuckles out a pained gasp. “Heh, you already have gray hairs, dumbass.”

“Oh man, you’re damn lucky we’re still in shock, you little punk.” Shiro swats at Keith, and Keith winces as he and Shiro slowly walk around the corpse to what looks like a chest of treasure that’s slowly becoming dyed red. Shiro bets the boy is covered in bruises from his risky move. “Nearly gave us a heart attack. Actually,” Shiro looks over his shoulder at the mage that’s still kneeling on the ground where Keith initially fell. “I can’t guarantee that Lance hasn’t actually had one.”

Keith stops and turns, and Shiro, who is assisting him, stops as well. “I’m alright, Lance. I’m alive. I’m even walking.”

That earns him an eyebrow from both Shiro and Lance, who is finally standing up and coming over to the duo. Lance eyes him. “You are limping, Keith. Barely walking.”

The boy smiles, shrugs off Shiro’s arms, and stands upright under his own power. “See? All good. Just a few bruises.” He hurries awkwardly towards the orcish ogre-bear’s decapitated head. “Yuck, Shiro. Sloppy.” He bends over to retrieve the daggers as Shiro sputters, affronted.

“He threw you across the cave! I just reacted. But, eugh, you’re right. I’m usually neater than this.” He lifts a blood-soaked boot and the kicks at the bloody treasure chest. “Anyway, kid, you get first pick. This is your first assist, after all.”

Keith is already wiping his daggers on the furry body that’s still spilling blood. “I don’t need anything.”

He turns and begins heading back to the entrance. Shiro chuckles.

“If you’re sure. There could be some pretty sweet stuff here. Enough to buy you even better daggers. But if you really want to forfeit all this, that’s fine with us.”

Keith stops mid step. When he turns his knives are clenched in his hands and he’s gritting his teeth. “Fine.”

Shiro smirks, and winks at Lance, who rolls his eyes and gently shoves Shiro away from the chest.

“No one is touching anything here until I’ve had a look at it. Don’t forget we’re trying to find the cursed item here. It’s supposed to look like a chalice or goblet or something.” The mage crouches and opens the chest with a snap of his fingers. Shiro hovers nearby. Sure enough the chest is filled with sparkly loot. Shiro whistles. Lance smacks the warrior’s leg, then makes a face as his hand comes away with blood.

“Just disgusting. I have no idea how you can handle being in the splash zone all the time. Much better to cast from afar,” he tuts.

Shiro gives some witty reply and then both men quiet as Lance closes his eyes and focuses his identification spell to pinpoint the evil magic.

Keith lose interest after a minute or two and his eyes drift back to the severed head. It’s leaking blood everywhere, but Keith feels himself pulled to the back corner of the cavern. It appears to be the resting spot for the beast. There’s a pile of fabric, likely pilfered blankets and tents, piled up to make a nest. Fresher bodies are scattered around it, and Keith recognizes the hind leg of a horse. As Keith is stepping over rocks and around boulders, he fails to notice the blood all over the floor begin to pull towards him in a sluggish flow.

He tunes out the voices of his companions, and doesn’t register the air getting cooler as he approaches the giant nest. There’s something there. He just knows it. Keith pulls back one dusty blanket, and then another. Pain starts to twinge in his chest, but Keith ignores it and focuses on trying to find whatever is surely buried here among the blankets.

The blood is running down the sides of the caves, and pulling away from Shiro’s clothes and across the floor towards Keith. The river becomes thicker, pooling around Keith’s feet as he searches among the monster’s belongings.

“Ah ha!”

Keith jerks.

The blood freezes.

Lance is holding up a suspiciously clean silver cup. Shiro leans in to inspect.

“So is that it? The cursed object?” he asks.

“Nah, it’s just a perfect match to one I already own.”

Shiro and Keith look at one another from across the room. Then shout out simultaneously.

“WAIT WHAT?!”

“LANCE WHAT THE HELL!”

Lance snickers. “Sorry I couldn’t help it. Yeah, there’s nothing here. All this is clean.” Lance pulls out a bag and tosses a handful of coins, gems, and trinkets in it. Keith abandons poking through the nest and comes over to inspect Lance.

“Is that a magic bag?”

Lance gives him an eyebrow. “You mean, a magical bag that can hold unlimited stuff?” He scoffs. “No such thing, sorry Keith. Next I bet you’ll ask if there are magic money trees. Ha! There are limits to magic, Keith. You’d do well to remember that.” Lance stands and brushes dust off his clothes.

Keith sticks his tongue out at Lance, who pointedly turns his back to Keith. Now they need to try and find this cursed object. There wasn’t anything among the loot so there’s a chance it could be still around in the cave.

“Keep your eyes peeled. We still need to find the cursed object. Let me know if you see anything freaky.” Lance slowly turns to inspect the cavern. “Shiro, can you check out the body and see if there’s anything there. I think maybe it’s beastly aura is messing with my magic.”

Shiro heads over to the monster’s body and begins to look it over for strange items.

Lance looks to Keith, mouth open to give him directions, and stops. He closes his mouth, then tries to stutter something out.

Keith frowns. “Lance? Are you alright?” He takes a step towards Lance arm outstretched. Lance backs up.

“Lance?”

“Blood.”

Now Keith is worried. Did Lance get messed up by the cured object when no one was looking? “Are you okay? Shiro, what’s wrong with Lance?”

Shiro lifts his head and his eyes widen. “Keith! Watch out! Your feet!”

Startled, Keith leaps back, but trips over something. He falls to the ground with a strange splash. “Wha-”

Before he can utter more than a syllable, liquid blood is moving like it has a mind of it’s own. It’s heading towards Keith as if pulled by magic, oozing steadily from the slain creature, Shiro’s clothes, and the cave walls.

“H-help! Shiro? Lance!”

The two move in the same moment, expressions hardened. Lance throws a hand out, a brilliant purple spell launched at the blood steadily creeping it’s way up Keith’s body. Another blue spell follows on the heels of the first and hit’s Keith’s face. But immediately a shimmering shield settles over Keith, dissolving the blood on him, while the other spell starts to burn away the blood that’s still pooled around Keith.

At the same moment Shiro is launching himself at Keith, metal hand slapping into the large puddle. Purple light bursts forth from the arm, and Keith flinches. The glow is the same as Lance’s spell and reacts the same when it touches the blood, burning away at it.

But despite their attempts, more blood pulls from the dead body and rushes quickly towards them.

Lance curses and is shooting a new, larger spell from both hands.

Keith cries out in fear as some of the blood begins climbing its way over the blue shield, covering Keith’s vision. Soon he’s encased in a cocoon of violent, sentient blood. It’s horrific and frightening and tears are falling unknowingly from Keith’s face.

“No, Lance! Please!”

It’s dark. Keith’s can’t see anything but he can hear and feel the fight happening. The magic spells send his skin tingling and the hairs raise on his arms. Unwanted memories of cruel hands and crueler magic bubble up to front of his mind and he wants out! He needs to get out!

“Please,” Keith gasps, falling forward onto his hands. “Please!”

* * *

Time passes strangely after that. Keith is only aware that it’s black. Then there’s light. Hands on are on him but they are kind, gentle. Nothing hurts. Well, that’s not quite true. His chest is killing him and his head pounds, but there’s no pain in his lower regions like he expected. Keith groans as the brightness hurts his eyes.

“Gentle, Keith. We got you.”

Shiro. That’s Shiro touching him.

“You’re okay.”

And there’s Lance, cradling him in his arms. Keith whimpers. He’s alright.

Shiro runs his hands though Keith’s hair, and Keith closes his eyes and lets his head fall against Lance. At the same time, Lance loosens his grip on the boy, and is massaging up and down his sides, drawing out as many small pleasured noises as he can. Shiro moves in, tilting Keith’s chin up, and their lips brush. It’s like Lance’s ice spell years ago, only this time it burns so good, and Keith is completely swept up in it. He’s floating away between Lance’s ministrations and Shiro’s kisses, that it takes him a second to figure out what’s wrong. Shiro must sense something because he begins to pull back, a frown on his face, when the sensation hits. It’s pain. It’s growing and spreading from his chest.

Keith gasps in agony, fire flaring up, and he shoves away from Lance’s hands, dodging Shiro's body and trying not to collapse as he tries to catch his breath and get his bearings. He knows he’s whimpering, but he can’t seem to stop. Something is definitely wrong. It’s burning so bad he’s left breathless. Keith holds his side tight, but it burn molten. His vision spots.

“Keith!”

“Oh my god. Talk to me Keith.”

“Baby! What did I do?”

“Shit! Catch him!”

A fierce, angry roar shakes the building, Shiro and Lance shout in surprise, and Keith passes out.

* * *

Shiro doesn’t let himself sleep, but he does let himself be calmed by Keith’s even breaths. The knight’s been lulled into a meditative state, broken only when Keith inhales painfully, breaking the smooth rhythm. Shiro comes to full consciousness with a jerk, and sits up in time to see the boy’s eyes clench then blink open. Shiro looks down at where he’s holding Keith’s hand, and decides to ignore his gut reaction to pull his hand back. Instead, he tightens his grip, giving Keith something to focus on as he gets his bearings.

As Shiro watches Keith groan and try to sit up, something warm wakes up a part of him that he’d thought long dead. It only pulsed when he and Lance buried themselves in one another, but this… it’s new and scary and Shiro feels like he’s facing down his very first monster all over again.

Keith blinks sleepily, wincing as he manages to lean against the headboard. He opens his mouth, but only manages a cough. He tries again.

“Wha?”

“Hey kid. How you feeling?” Shiro does not ask fondly. At all. Lance smirks at him from Keith’s other side.

Keith looks at Shiro, then down at their joined hands. He gives a soft smile.

Damn, caught! In an attempt to fix the situation he (gently) pulls his hand away and gives Keith a stern look. The boy blinks slowly, then frowns. “What’s wrong?”

Shiro shrugs. “Oh nothing, just our idiot duckling breaking all three of our rules in one go.”

The kid’s eyes widen. His guardians were very clear that he could follow along if and only if he agreed to the three rules they had set. Keith looks at Lance worryingly. Of the two of them, Lance tends to be the more reasonable. But right now his eyes are cold. He won’t get any help there. Keith licks his lips. “I uh...went off on my own in the cave. W-without waiting for you.”

Shiro nods. Then raises his eyebrow, waiting.

“...I got hurt?”

“You got hurt and didn’t tell us. When the cave collapsed. No keeping anything important from us. Lance here had to heal your broken ribs after the shit storm with the cursed blood. That was all a goddamn nightmare, Keith. Shit! We thought you were fucked up by the curse.”

Keith blanches, both at the reminder of the blood crawling over his body and at the reprimand. “Ah, yes. Sorry. And um… the third…” Keith frowns.

But Shiro is merciless. “What’s the third rule?”

“D-don't get in the way of your mission? But I haven’t-”

Shiro stands, and Lance follows him, dragging Keith off the bed and over to the window. “Anything you can think of that might get in the way of our mission, Keith?”

Flabbergasted, Keith gawks at his two guardians. “No?”

“Really, Keith,” speaks Lance. “Think hard.”

“Anything at all you might want to tell us?” the warrior pushes.

Keith shakes his head.

Shiro stands right in front of the drawn curtain in front of the window. In one swift move, he’s yanked both curtains aside.  A huge gleaming red eye widens, then narrows, looking directly at Keith. An angry roar fills the air. A roar Keith is all too familiar with.

“Shit,” Keith says viciously.

“First she nearly wrecks the cave in attempt to get to you, but then when I teleport you back to the inn she nearly busts the place down. She hates me!”

Keith tries to smile, but it comes as a grimace. “No she doesn’t, Lance. Stop overreacting. She’s just hungry.”

Lace’s jaw drops. “Stop overreacting? **_STOP OVERREACTING?! THERE’S A FUCKING DRAGON OUTSIDE KEITH WHAT THE FUCK!”_ **

Keith sighs wearily, exhausted, and grabs his boots. “I gotta feed her, be right back,” he mutters.

Shiro and Lance sputter as he turns and leaves.

* * *

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The darkness spreads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooly crap lol. It's been a few months. But I got the house and we're semi unpacked now. I'll have some more pockets on free time as we get closer to spring break and over summer I'm going to write ahead so I have stuff to post during my busy times. 
> 
> This chapter is a little dark? Sorry!
> 
> Huge thank you to Mygeekcorner for always being a pal and looking over things for me! ♡♡♡

* * *

Keith doesn’t make it very far. His legs feel weak. He closes the door and carefully leans back against it. He can hear their soft words through the door.

_“So, a dragon…”_  
_“A dragon.”_  
_“What is she... uh it, I mean... I’m sorry I’m not sure how to process this?”_

Keith almost wants to laugh at the confusion he can hear in Shiro’s voice, but instead, he’s just weary.

_“Its a dragon, Shiro.”_  
_“Aren’t they dead, Lance? Like, it’s been…”_  
_“100 years give or take? Yeah.”_  
_“How the hell did he keep it from us?_

There’s a pause, and Keith wants to run to Red but he’s also rooted to the spot. What is Lance thinking? Had the mage suspected him?

  
_“Maybe he didn’t. That must be what the night visits were.”_  
_“Shit. We were so wrong. Now I feel stupid thinking it was night terrors.”_

Fuck.

They had noticed he was leaving at night and thought they were nightmares?

Why were they so considerate? Keith wants to smack himself. He screwed everything up. This is why he didn’t want to let them know he was hurt. It always leads to problems. Keith silently departs for the barn. He really needs to talk to Red. And apologize. He’s not running away from the situation.

* * *

Shiro sits warily on the bed, exhausted from the day’s ordeals. Lance stays standing stiffly until Shiro beckons him over. Lance moves in front of Shiro but doesn't sit. Shiro reaches out to hold his hands. They’re cold. It’s strangely chilly in the room in Keith’s absence.

“It’s going to be a mess,” Lance mutters.

“I bet,” Shiro replies. “Wait, for us or for him?”

“No I mean…,” Lance sighs and rubs as his forehead. “What are we going to focus on here? We still didn’t get to follow up the earlier conversation about the bruises. Then he kept his wounds from us. And he has a dragon.”

Lance sits heavily on the bed besides the warrior and holds his head in his hands.

“Oh gods above…”

Shiro rests a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”

“Keith. He’s...going to be a target now. He has a giant fucking bullseye painted on his back. Everyone worth half their salt is going to come swarming.”

“But he was able to keep the secret from us.”

“Yes Shiro, until he got really hurt. Then the dragon took matters into its own hands. At some point those two are going to mess up again. And it won’t be in a tiny town in the ass crack of nowhere next time.”

Shiro is quiet as he lets the truth sink it. Keeping Keith safe will be their burden to bear. Both the boy and the dragon.

“So the question is, can we take on that responsibly? We already have Allura’s quest to finish. It’s been four years. We can’t be fending off villains while we try to find Altea. What do you think we should do, Shiro?”

Lance turns to him for counsel, but Shiro has nothing. He’s so used to the routine of fighting and fucking. Making ground-shattering decision that could change the course of destiny is widely out of his comfort zone. He does have one question. He can start with that.

“Let’s focus on the dragon. Aren’t there prophecies foretelling the return of the dragons? Keith’s must be the last. First and foremost, I’d like to know how the fuck that happened. Our tiny, lost boy, a dragon master!” Shiro scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. “It must have happened after we rescued him, because I am positive the dragon would have intervened before he got to that state. Second, we can’t overlook something like this. The dragon must be protected.”

Lance frowns and pulls back from Shiro’s warmth. “But is it worth Allura’s wrath? We won’t be able to explain why we put her mission aside.”

“Why not?”

Lance gives him an icy look. “Shiro...the very last dragon. In the hands of royalty?”

“Ahhh, yes.”

They both fall silent. Lance picks at a thread on the blanket.

“Well, we could always claim it for ourselves,” Shiro says quietly.

Lance throws his head up in shock.

“Ah, don’t give me that look. Just imagine the power. Having an ally like that… it might be worth fending off endless enemies for the ability to use the dragon to its fullest extent. You can’t tell me you haven’t been thinking the same thoughts.”

Lance gives him a rueful look. “What do you propose? Seduce the boy and steal the dragon?”

Shiro gives a thoughtful hum.

Lance gasps. “You nasty brute. You know he’ll be back to being a timid bunny again.”

“Ah, I’m a patient sort of guy,” Shiro smirks.

“No you aren’t,” Lance says flatly.

Shiro chuckles. “No, I’m not.” Shiro stands and brushes invisible dust from his clothes. “This opportunity is too good to pass up. And besides, I’ve always loved a challenge. I know you do, too, mage. Don’t pretend you don’t.”

* * *

 

Keith makes it as far as the barn door before his legs give out.

This is it.

He’s effectively just killed Red. Shiro and Lance know his secret. Sure Keith thinks he knows them, and their character. But there was a reason why the dragon riders and their dragons died out.

Human greed.

Shiro is strong and protective. But he does have a possessive side. A dark streak of cruelty and dominance that could easily be fostered in Red’s presence. Dragons had a magic to them that most men fell prey to. Keith can already see it: torturing a ferocious beast for sport. For show.

And Lance. A powerful magician. A flick of his fingers and a town went up in flames. Those with mighty power always wanted more. Mages were well-known to become obsessed with power and greed. And what better way to show one’s power than tame the last riding dragon?

No. Keith won’t let it happen. He’ll leave tonight. No, not soon enough. He has to leave immediately.

Red’s presence swoops into his mind, trying to comfort and console him, but in this one moment she can’t help him. Keith clenches his eyes closed and pushes at Red. He pushes at her the memories he’s been keeping locked away tight. He feels her betrayal, then confusion.

What? What does he need to show her?

And Keith throws back the lid to the dusty chest in his mind and lets Red sees the truth of her existence.

* * *

The ground is soaked. Puddles of black and strange lumpy dark pieces are scattered about the wet ground.

A mournful wail interrupted by a horrific scream of pain. Scales sloughed off. Tails chopped. Rivulets of red spill onto the wet black floor. The rusty drain grate is clogged with blood. Old blood. Rotten. Some fresh.

Dragon hunting became a sport. Entertainment. A sign of power and wealth.

As humans stopped listening to the dragons they lost their bond.

This new dragon is plump. They cut into her abdomen. She’s heavy with eggs ready to be laid. Or was. Most are shattered, yolk leaking. A slice and the rest drop to the floor, cracking.

One falls on the chopped tail and rolls. Unscathed. The butcher pauses. A dragon egg. Already he can see the wealth this egg will earn him. Hurriedly he gathers up the egg, leaving the dragon to bleed out. The doors are thrown open. The boss is coming. Must hide.

The butcher runs to the house and pulls a chest from under the bed. Best to hide it until night.

But it never comes for the man. His house is set to flames. The chest chars, but keeps the life warm among its dying embers. But then a wandering stumbles upon the wreckage--

The vision cuts out, pain shooting through Keith’s mind. He cries out.

_I’m sorry, my love, my Light. But I needed it to stop. You need to stop. You’re unwell._

No, that’s just my ribs. I’m okay. I’m sorry Red. I’ve killed you. I don't know if I can trust them.

_No no my precious. You need to stop with these dark thoughts. They are eating you. Return to your friends and let them care for you. I will be here to help cleanse you in the morning._

Keith gasps. No, I’m sorry. I promise I will do anything to keep you safe. I’ll… I’ll kill them if I have to.

_Keith, no!_

Keith laughs darkly. And to think he was worried about breaking the “rules.” Time for some rules of his own.

* * *

Keith slams open the door to their room, prepared to fight for Red’s freedom, or bribe if necessary. The sight he sees stops him short. Shiro is standing by the side of the bed, shirtless. His arms are crossed in front of his broad chest. Keith’s eyes search for Lance, and see the mage hogtied on the bed, ripped sheets pinning him, stark naked. There’s a gag in his mouth. His eyes are wide, surprised, but calm. Eager. And the hardness between his legs is all the confirmation needed.

“It’s seems we’ve underestimated you, Keith. You’re a powerful man. And you never did get your reward from besting me in that fight. Isn’t it time to reap the benefits?”

Instantly Keith’s hackles rise and he frowns. “What is all of this? What are you playing at, knight?”

“Nothing at all. But it’s time I treated you as an equal, not a retainer. What’s yours is mine. I will share all with you, including the lay.”

Keith doesn’t like where this is going at all. Maybe he’ll just go with his original plan of leaving. “This is clearly a test. What do you hope to gain from this? That I will share my dragon with you? Tough luck. I’m just grabbing my stuff and then I’m out.”

He reaches for the door handle but quick as lightning Shiro darts over and slams the door shut, trapping Keith inside. The look on his face is predatory, a villainous grin stretching across his face.  
“You’ll be free to leave after you take what’s rightfully yours. What are you afraid of, kid? A Little fucking? Does being on top scare you?”

Keith grits his teeth. He hates this feeling of being trapped. “Nothing of the sort, Shiro. Leave me alone.” What the hell is Shiro doing?

Shiro tisks, and raises a hand. It takes everything not to flinch as Shiro traces his metal claws up along Keith’s neck, leaving a thin red trail behind. It burns but Keith doesn’t even twitch. He had learned the hard way as a child not to run from the wolves because they loved the thrill of the chase. He stands his ground.

“You know you can’t force me to stay.”

“Of course not. But remember how you got into this mess. You came to us and offered your body. I just wanted you one last time. You fuck Lance and I’ll fuck you. I did save your life, after all. Lance wanted you dead, but I asked him to spare you, in a strange break of character.”

Unbidden, Keith’s mind races back through years of memories to that one moment. That fateful day when a desperate, bruised, defeated boy took a gamble with fate and picked a fight with something he knew he’d lose to. A chance to end it all, once and for all. Never in his wildest dreams would he have predicted that choice leading to his salvation. Rebirth.

Keith was resurrected, and he did owe Shiro and Lance.

But how long until he repaid them? How much would they continue to take?

And the bigger question… how long would Keith keep letting them?

“No, Shiro. I’m done. Like you said, I’m your equal now. Be satisfied with Lance.”

Keith sidesteps Shiro, but the hand resting on his neck tightens, squeezing.

“Come on, Keith. Show me the wild side of you. The darkness you keep hidden. Everyone has one. Don’t you want to come out on top for once? Don’t be the beat up loser we first found. Filthy and broken. You fought to get here.”

Keith growls.

“There we go. Fuck the mage. Make him feel it. Everything you keep bottled in.”

“I’m not hiding anything, Shiro! Cut the crap!”

“We saved you, Keith, and you went from a pathetic beggar to this. But I still see someone weak. Show us what you’re really capable of. You fought to get here. Don’t keep letting people underestimate you, weakling!”

“Shiro, back off!” Keith grits out. Shiro’s grip is like iron. Red is knocking at a wall in his mind, questioning. Does he need help?

No, he doesn’t need anybody!

“Maybe I should have let Lance freeze you solid, stopping your heart. I’d hate to think we saved you for nothing. Are you any better than you were back then?”

Something black inside Keith burns. It’s rage. And guilt. And envy. How dare they insinuate he’s not a fighter who deserved this second chance? And why was he the one fucked by the fates to suffer all his childhood? Why couldn’t he have had a happy, or at least normal life like all the rich people? He’ll show them. He’ll show them all. He has suffered enough for six lifetimes. He should start taking revenge on all those who hurt him. He was never something he had considered before, but how dare they go on to live their lives in oblivion? Never thinking back on the kid they fucked and beat and starved, when Keith can’t go a night without reliving those nightmares. Keith has been hurting for years, nearly two decades of pain. People don’t deserve the forced smile he puts on. They should fear him.

“Take your hands off me, Shiro.”

The warrior opens his mouth but Keith grips Shiro’s artificial hand tight enough that the metal creaks. The words die on Shiro’s tongue and Red’s frantic worry goes strangely silent.

Keith tightens his hand. Shiro hisses as Keith, overcome and empowered by some darkness, pries the hand off his throat.

**“Don’t. Touch. ME!”**

Shiro goes flying into the wall by the bed. He crashes to the floor with a groan and Keith chuckles. Lance makes a muffled scream and falls off the bed. A second later he’s standing, clothes magically but hastily back on his body and free from the ties.

Keith doesn’t give him a chance to compose himself. He launches himself at Lance. The mage throws up some barrier but Keith brings a clawed hand down and it cuts right through the magic. Lance stutters and backs up and Keith prowls forward. Shiro picks himself up clumsily, momentarily stunned, but Keith is already there. He backhands Shiro. The warrior manages to just barely keep his balance, so Keith sweeps a leg out and Shiro collapses.

**_“How dare you imply that I’m not worthy of this life?”_ **

Keith feels like he’s on fire. Both inside and out, black flames lick across his body.

Lance yells something to Shiro but Keith can’t hear over the roaring in his ears.

_Keith! I’m coming, my Fire. My Heart. Please brace yourself!_

The fire on his body turns blood red. Keith screams.

_Mage! Get ready to purge him._

Lance, who had run to Shiro’s side, stiffens at the voice in his head. “What? Who was that?”

_Purification, NOW!_

“What the hell is going on! Shit!” Keith is on his knees, howling. The fire on his body is burning brighter, nearly pink now.

_It’s the curse. Purify him!_

“Fuck fuck fuck!” God I hope I’m not going crazy!

White light shoots from Lance’s hands. Lance turns his head from the brightness, and Shiro shields his eyes with a hand. He hears a crack and feels pain shoot up his hand.

The light explodes, and Lance fears the purification didn’t work. If the light isn’t an even match to the dark it backfires.

_Worry not, I strengthened your magic. You were successful._

Lance cradles Shiro to his body. “Who the hell is that? Shiro. Are you hearing this?”

Shiro gives Lance a tired look. “No, what voice?” Shiro sits up a little and sees the prone figure on the floor. “Is Keith alright?”

Lance stands and carefully makes his way over. Keith is laying face down on the ground, among a charred circle. He’s growing strangely red. Lance crouches to reach out a finger and touch, but he brushes some sort of shield and a spark zaps Lance’s hand. He pulls is back with a gasp.

_One moment, mage._

Out of the red haze two small wings form, and then a small wispy body. Lance rubs his eyes. What the hell is he looking at?

_I am Red. Well, in essence form. I transcended forms to protect Keith. You needed the boost and he needed the shield. That curse is a nasty one, but we both defeated it. My poor Light was no match. He has all that pain locked away inside, just fuel to the fire._

Lance is still frozen, but the fog begins to fade.

_Now if you’ll excuse me, I must rest. Look after him._

Shiro crawls his way over to where Lance is still looking down at Keith. He looks much better than he did when he awoke. There’s some color to him now.

“What the hell was all that, Lance?” Shiro asks, eyeing the charred black floor.

Lance turns to Shiro and notices the man holding his metal arm to his chest. It’s damaged. There’s a crack running straight down from forearm to palm.

“Well, bad news is Keith got cursed,” Lance says cherrily. “The good news is the dragon helped me purify him, so we should be all good now.”

Lance reaches for Shiro’s hand and the warrior lets him inspect it.

“Damn, Shiro. Next time don’t taunt the kid, alright? Curses affect the mind, not the body. This was all Keith.” At Shiro’s gulp Lance chuckles. “Looks like our dragon rider’s beginning to channel his inner dragon. I heard a rumor they do that sometimes.”

Together, Shiro and Lance carefully carry Keith to the bed again, and try to make him comfortable. He wakes up shortly, disoriented and weak.

“Oh ow. What happened? I feel like I got stepped on by a dragon. Did I dream that?”

“Something like that. You did kick Shiro’s ass, thought.”

“I’m sorry?” Keith says.

Shiro waves his metal hand, but it flops, so he switches hands. “No worries. I was being a dick and I deserved it.”

“Ah, alright. I’m so tired, can we sleep now?”

“Yes, of course, babe. Lance, help me with this arm and we’ll just deal with everything in the morning.”

* * *

The next day Lance is the first one up, and he busies himself with putting the room back to order and doing the best he can on the singed floor. Keith wakes up not too soon after.

“M’rning Lance. Hmm, what happened?”

Keith sits up, glances at Shiro next to him, then does a double take. “What happened to Shiro’s arm?!”

Lance can’t help it. It’s just too perfect. “Well, Shiro was being a dumbass and you ripped his arm clear off.”

Keith’s cry of shock startles Shiro awake.

Lance is too busy laughing his fool head off to dodge Shiro’s one-handed attack.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! But with the curse lifted and Red longer a secret, we're in for some fun times. Shiro and Lance better treat Keith a lot nicer now. He's beginning to channel his inner dragon! X3

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT! October 2018:  
> We got some cover art!
> 
>   
> [on tumblr](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/178714336236/iacediai-commission-for-nutella0mutt-based-on)  
>   
>   
> [on tumblr](http://nutella0mutt.tumblr.com/post/178612059731/vava-fett-commission-for-nutella0mutts-fantasy)


End file.
